Bismah Maroof, the captain of the Pakistan Women's Team, arrived with her child at Mount Maunganui today for their first Women's World Cup 2022 match against India Women's Team and has made waves on all social media platforms with just one but a very powerful picture.

Due to the pandemic and bio-bubble, the idea of bringing an infant for such an event may seem contentious to some, but the rule is approved by ICC as a benefit of a parental policy and Maroof is simply making the most of it.

What a powerful photo. A captain arriving for an India-Pakistan clash with her baby, having given birth recently pic.twitter.com/CjppMgs5EY

— Vishal Dikshit (@Vishal1686) March 6, 2022

Previously, Maroof has addressed the issue of being a mother while also raising a child on the contracts that the Pakistan cricket board offers to its female cricketers. She’d said that a child needs the mother's care. 

The question would have been, where would her child go if she had to continue her career? And who will look after the child if she is on the field? Hiring a babysitter and accompanying her everywhere is costly, and Pakistani women cricketers do not earn enough money to afford such luxury. Their contracts allow them to make a livelihood, but it would have been impossible to continue playing with a child if there had been no parental policy in place.

Maroof's life these days is a jumble of varied tasks, juggling her fitness, batting, captaincy, and obligations as a mother. Despite the increased workload, she is grateful that "Fatima is a good child" who only wakes her up twice or thrice a night.

Pakistan's finest batter is one of eight mothers participating in the World Cup, and she will be the first Pakistani to return to national service after becoming a mother. Maroof's life has taken an unexpected turn in a country where most cricketers' careers finish once they marry. She, too, was a soft-spoken, unassuming individual who had once felt that a similar fate awaited her.

The six-month-old infant has become a new and energising part of Pakistan's World Cup campaign and has boosted the team's morale. Fatima, the skipper’s daughter, has become the new centre of attention in the group, which the captain feels is a good thing.

Maroof’s narrative has inspired millions across the world, including Indian fans who were just enthralled by the image of her coming out of the bus in her Pakistani uniform with the infant in one hand and her cricketing kit strapped to her other shoulder.

Mothers they are unique…. Kudos to such player /captain

— The Rich Poor (@TheRichPoor) March 6, 2022

Motherhood
Salute to all the mothers regardless the color of their shirts.

— I am Mr. McAdams and I haven’t said a word (@cricketfan1990) March 6, 2022

Salute irrespective of nation, a mother is a mother... we all should bow down before her commitment

— Brijesh (@Brijesh_SD) March 6, 2022

Maa Tujhe Salaam.

God made Mothers in His image so that you could feel His love everyday through Her.

— Bran and 99 others (@TheLonStRanger) March 6, 2022

Powerful image indeed! A potent reminder of the multitude of ways women contribute towards shaping the futures of nations! #Equality #EqualPay https://t.co/8xic8NLBxp

— mo saadat (@mosaadat) March 6, 2022

@mohsinaliisb @razi_haider
The biggest all-rounder in real life https://t.co/Gi0ux2Unew

— Chaudhary ajay (@Ajchaudhary28) March 6, 2022

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