In a standout performance at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 Qualifier, 33-year-old Bangladeshi leg-spin all-rounder Fahima Khatun played a crucial role as a key member of the spin department, sealing the unbeaten team’s qualification for the 10th edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England and Wales from June 12 to July 5, 2026.
With 5 wickets at an average of 17.80 and an economy of 6.00 across six innings in six matches, Fahima proved the backbone of skipper Nigar Sultana Joty’s side, which topped the points table with 10 points from five games. “I’m really happy because when I play for my country, I always try to contribute,” Fahima told in an exclusive to Vishal Yadav for Female Cricket. “It’s all about, like if I get a chance to bowl, bat or field, every time I just try to contribute for my country. So, it was a very special and very exciting moment for me.”
Since her T20I debut against India on April 5, 2013, in Vadodara, Fahima has been a pillar for Bangladesh, amassing 67 wickets at 22.26 average and 5.80 economy in 92 innings across 98 matches, including a four-wicket haul and the landmark achievement of becoming the first Bangladeshi woman to claim a T20I hat-trick. Her batting adds depth, with 416 runs at a strike rate of 93.06 and an average of 9.45 in 66 innings.
In ODIs, debuting days later in Ahmedabad, she boasts 41 wickets at 33.21 average and 4.49 economy in 49 innings over 54 matches, including a five-wicket haul, plus 394 runs at 56.12 strike rate and 12.31 average in 40 innings. Her grit shone in the 13th ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 in India, taking 6 wickets at 26.66 average and 4.21 economy in five matches, while scoring 45 runs.
Fahima’s journey from Magura, a town yet to fully embrace women’s cricket despite icons like Sakib Al Hasan hailing from there, was anything but smooth. From a middle-class family, her father, a retired police officer, faced early resistance. “My brother always used to tell me that I should study, he was a very good student. So, he used to wonder why girls play cricket?” she recalled with a laugh.
“That’s the reason I called him the villain, and my sister was always beside me, the hero of my cricket journey.” Irony struck when that same brother began requesting her jerseys and chiding her for not taking more wickets. “Early this morning, he told me,” Why don’t you get more wickets? It’s always about the team members,” Fahima quipped.
Balancing a law degree from the Islamic University in Kushtia with cricket was gruelling. “Too difficult. During 2017 and 2018, I was in camp for one and a half months, playing 50-over games all day, then travelling six to seven hours at night for exams,” she shared. “My teacher, Mondol Mondol sir, used to say, ‘Just open your eyes and write.’ All credit to my family, they’re always beside me.”
Now a senior figure alongside Rabeya Khan and Shorna Akter, Fahima has witnessed a transformation. “It’s really well. We’ve improved a lot. Whenever we’ve performed as a team, every team has struggled against us,” she noted, reflecting on close World Cup losses to England, South Africa, and Sri Lanka. In a faster game, she stays sharp: “Our batters are doing really well. In yesterday’s match (30th January 2026) Vs Scotland, we got 191, our joint 2nd-highest in Women’s T20Is.”
She mentors freely, sharing her arsenal of variations, googlies, top-spin, flipper, sliders, yorkers, and slower balls. “I’m just sharing. Cricket is fast-paced; these two (Shorna Akter and Rabeya Khan) have good talent. I tell them to work on variations. We always discuss our bowling strengths.” That hat-trick moment? “It means a lot. As an all-rounder, I’m just trying to contribute in every aspect.”
Fahima laments Magura’s decline in girls’ participation, “60 to 70 girls came to practice in 2009-11; now it’s too difficult”, but eyes progress. Her top three for elevation: sustained facilities from BCB, consistency, and big tournaments like a franchise league akin to WPL or Big Bash. “We have five to six players capable for WPL, Big Bash. A big tournament time and consistency” is key.
Buzzing for her potential seventh T20 World Cup, Fahima beamed, “I’m really excited. If I get picked, it’s a very good achievement. Speaking on the Qualifiers campaign, she shed light on the determination. “We came here to be champions.” Her message to young girls? “Please come and play cricket, it’s a very good opportunity to represent your country, and now Bangladesh has done really well on a big stage.”
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