Sobhana Mostary emerges as a beacon of resilience in Bangladesh women’s cricket, a 23-year-old right-hand batter and right-arm off-break bowler who’s finally syncing her domestic flair with international promise.
Across 47 T20Is, she amassed 586 runs, complementing 436 from 30 ODIs, but it’s her recent heroics that scream breakout. In the last ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, the middle order stalwart cracked the top 10 run scorers, silencing doubters. Then came the Women’s Bangladesh Cricket League (WBCL) T20 triumph: 259 runs in five innings at 126.34 strike rate, captaining North Zone to glory. Now, as the team launches its Mirpur camp for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers in Nepal from January 18, Mostary opened up about her grit fueled journey.
Captaincy crowned her WBCL dominance. Four years of leading in the Premier League, NCL, and BCL had built hunger, but victory tasted sweetest after an early stumble. “Even after losing our first match this season, I didn’t lose belief,” she said. “Everyone gave their best, and the support from senior players like Supta (Sharmin Akter) Apu and Sammu (Shamima Sultana) Apu helped me a lot as a captain.” This poise echoes her middle order nous steadying chaos before unleashing boundaries.
International preparation lags, though, leaving the team stuck playing only domestic games against familiar opponents before the qualifiers. “The difference is significant,” Mostary stressed. “Experience matters the most at the international level. If we could have played against India as preparation for the qualifiers, it would have provided a lot of room for improvement.” Her words spotlight cricket’s mental chasm, domestic comfort versus global edge.
Reflection reveals raw growth since World Cup woes. Three four years of flak for unmet hype crushed her, until 2024’s pivot. “Finishing among the top 10 batters gave me belief,” she shared. “I trained harder, stayed mentally focused and tried to understand the game’s momentum.” Off the field, her off breaks add utility; on it, she’s morphing into Bangladesh’s clutch performer.
Talking about Qualifiers, Confidence brews, but no cakewalk. Top four teams will qualify and as Bangladesh have already played against most of them it suits their track record. “We have played against most of these teams and done well,” she affirmed. “But we still need to perform.”
Mostary noted that the BCB is working to schedule more international matches ahead of the T20 World Cup, with talks buzzing about launching a Women’s BPL. She added that senior players and the captain keep pushing for extra games, and the board tends to respond favorably.
Mostary’s arc from criticized talent to titled captain fuels Bangladesh’s qualifier charge. Her stats show progress a rock blending power and patience. Nepal could cement her as a World Cup qualifier star, dragging the Tigers through.
(Quotes sourced from The Daily Star)
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