Murshida Khatun

International career

Murshida Khatun is a Bangladeshi cricketer, born on July 7, 1999, who plays as a left-handed batter. She is known as the only left-handed player in Bangladesh's women's cricket team. Khatun's cricket journey began by imitating her older brother, adopting a left-handed batting style similar to Indian cricketer Smriti Mandhana. She first made a significant impression when she made her international debut in 2018. Her major breakthrough came during the 2020 Women's T20 World Cup, where she played against India at the WACA and scored a 26-ball 30. Khatun’s cricket inspiration stems from watching Mandhana’s performance in the 2017 ODI World Cup, which motivated her to work hard on her batting.

Khatun’s early cricket days were met with challenges, as her passion for the sport was often discouraged by her family and neighbors. Despite the criticism, she continued her journey, sneaking out to watch her cousins play cricket. At the age of 12, she persuaded her father to enroll her in a girls' cricket academy. Khatun later joined the Bangladesh Krira Shiksha Protishthan (BKSP), the premier sports institute, in 2013. Her domestic career in the Bangladesh Women's Premier League helped her secure a national team call-up. Although her early international career showed mixed results, with limited runs in her first few appearances, Khatun’s recent form has been promising. Coaches highlight her growing consistency, especially her improved shot selection and fitness.

Khatun has developed a reputation for her graceful cover drive, which has drawn comparisons to her idol, Smriti Mandhana. Her inclusion in the 2020 T20 World Cup squad was seen as a key to improving Bangladesh's rankings and advancing past the qualifiers. Despite her relatively short international career, Khatun is regarded as a promising talent for the future of Bangladesh women's cricket.

2017

• She was selected for the Bangladesh squad for the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier.

2018

• May 4: She played her first WODI match for Bangladesh against South Africa at Potchefstroom.
• May 20: She played her first WT20I match for Bangladesh against South Africa at Bloemfontein.
• She scored only 1 run in both matches.

2019

• August: She was chosen for Bangladesh’s squad in the 2019 ICC Women's World Twenty20 Qualifier tournament in Scotland.
• November: She was selected for the Bangladesh squad in the 2019 South Asian Games cricket tournament.
  • Bangladesh won a gold medal after defeating Sri Lanka by two runs in the final.
• She scored her highest runs in both WODI and WT20I formats in 2019.

2020

• January: She was named in Bangladesh's squad for the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia.
  • She scored 30 runs off 26 balls against India in the World Cup.

2021

• November: She was chosen for the 2021 Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier tournament in Zimbabwe.

2022

• January: She was named in the Bangladesh squad for the 2022 Commonwealth Games Cricket Qualifier in Malaysia.
• January: She was selected for the 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.

2024

• She was named in the Bangladesh squad for the 2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup.

2025

• January 24: She played her last WODI match for Bangladesh against West Indies at Basseterre.
• January 31: She played her last WT20I match for Bangladesh against West Indies at Basseterre.

Throughout her career, Khatun became a reliable opener for Bangladesh. She looked up to Smriti Mandhana and worked on her cover drive. She showed growth in both formats and helped Bangladesh in many matches.

Leagues Participation

Murshida Khatun took part in the Bangladesh Women's Cricket League.

Bangladesh Women's Cricket League

Murshida Khatun reached an important milestone on March 31, 2023, when she became the first Bangladeshi to score a century in women’s first-class cricket. She achieved this while playing for Jamuna in the 2022–23 Bangladesh Women's Cricket League. This was a key moment in her career and showed her growing abilities in domestic cricket.

Year	Team	Notes
2022–23	Jamuna	First Bangladeshi to score a century in women's first-class cricket.

Domestic career

Murshida Khatun started her cricket journey in 2013. A cousin, who worked in the media, suggested she apply for Bangladesh Krira Shiksha Protishthan (BKSP), the country's top sports school. She had little knowledge of cricket at the time, but her batting impressed the coaches. She was accepted into the school.

In 2014, Murshida moved to the Bangladesh Women's Premier League. Her performances were not strong at first, but she improved and got selected for the national camp. Her international debut came in May 2018 after some inconsistent form.

In the 2022-2023 season, Murshida helped Mohammedan Sports Club break a record in the Dhaka Women's Premier League. The team scored 392 runs in 50 overs and won by 251 runs. In 2024, she set a new record by scoring 179 runs in 157 balls in the same league.

As of 2024, Murshida plays for Northern Zone and Jamuna. She had also represented Sylhet Division in the 2017–2018 season. On December 27, 2024, she scored 122 not out for Central Zone in the Bangladesh Cricket League. This made her the fourth Bangladeshi woman to score a first-class century.

Records and achievements

Murshida Khatun has achieved a lot in her cricket career. As a left-handed opener, she has set many records and reached key milestones in both domestic and international cricket. Below is a list of her achievements from 2019 onward.

• 2019: Murshida helped Bangladesh win a gold medal at the South Asian Games.
• October 6, 2022: She scored 56 runs off 54 balls against Malaysia. This performance helped Bangladesh win by 88 runs.
• March 31, 2023: Murshida became the first Bangladeshi woman to score a century in first-class cricket.
• May 23, 2024: She scored 179 runs off 157 balls in the Dhaka Women's Premier League, setting a new record.
• July 22, 2024: Murshida scored 50 runs off 55 balls against Thailand, leading Bangladesh to an easy win.
• September 2024: In a match against Malaysia, Murshida scored 80 runs off 59 balls, hitting 10 boundaries and 1 six. She won the Player of the Match award and helped Bangladesh win by 114 runs.
• 2024: Murshida set a record for the most fifties in the Asian Women's T20 Cup. She scored three fifties in five innings, breaking the previous record held by Mithali Raj.

Personal life

Murshida Khatun is a well-known name in Bangladesh cricket. She keeps her personal life mostly private but some details are known about her finances, family, and connection with her fans.

Finance

Murshida Khatun's estimated net worth is between $100,000 and $500,000.

Scandals

Murshida has sometimes been left out of the Bangladesh women's cricket team. For example, she did not play in the opening match of the 2022 Asian Cup against Sri Lanka, which created some attention.

Fans

Murshida has fans who admire her work. A video on YouTube shows young fans from Anandaniketan School in Sylhet meeting her at the hotel. She has 660 followers on Instagram.