ISLAMABAD: While Bismah Maroof, the captain of the Pakistan women cricket team, left netizens in awe of her championing of cricket and motherhood, her daughter stole the Internet during the Pakistan-India World Cup match in New Zealand on Sunday.
Bismah gave birth to a baby girl in August last year. Photographs and video clips of the Pakistan captain and her six-month-old, Fatima, went viral before and after the match, and drew an outpouring of love, praise and respect from netizens.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) shared a photo of Maroof carrying her daughter, Fatima, as the Pakistan team arrived at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.
“Cricket kit, Bags packed, Baby cradle,” the ICC captioned the picture on Instagram.
Commenting on the viral photo, Maroof told ESPN Cricinfo it was a really different feeling coming back into a World Cup and playing a match.
“I think I was a bit emotional. My mother and daughter are there,” she was quoted as saying. “It was a special moment for me.”
Fatima was once again the center of attraction when Maroof brought her out and a bunch of Indian players surrounded the mother-daughter duo.
The pictures and videos have been widely shared across social networking platforms, and have appeared to win hearts across the world.
Here are some of the reactions:
Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar shared the picture of the Pakistan captain and her daughter with the Indian women team.
“What a lovely moment!” he remarked. “Cricket has boundaries on the field, but it breaks them all off the field.”
Cricket commentator Atif Nawaz said Maroof’s legacy would go far beyond her achievements on the field.
“In a society that often tells women to make choices between career and family, she’s showing that you can have both!” he said on Twitter. “Such an inspiring person.”
“This Pic is THE STATEMENT for everyone who ever had even an of doubt as if women can conquer profession n family simultaneously,” Pakistani cricket commentator, Marina Iqbal, said on Twitter.
“Hats off to you @maroof_bismah. More power to u n ur family.”
“Woman of the Match: Fatimah in Red!” journalist Mariana Baabar tweeted. “Women in Blue agree! New generation of cricketers.”
“Bismah Maroof has just come back having had a baby, lovely to see her back on the pitch!” England Cricket tweeted.
Former Pakistan captain and incumbent Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, shared a video of Maroof and her daughter with Indian team on its official Twitter handle.
“What a lovely moment from the time of #IndVsPak Women’s Cricket Game yesterday” it said in the tweet.
