The inaugural Hundred tournament in the UK has been heralded as a pioneering experiment and Abtaha Maqsood, among the many players participating in the women's section, is making a statement in her own way.
The Scotland leg-spinner is proving to be an inspiration for young Muslim women to take up the sport while conforming to their beliefs. Maqsood, whose parents are from Pakistan, is playing for Birmingham Phoenix while wearing a hijab, which she hopes will attract youngsters from her community to follow her example.
In a recent interview with the BBC, Maqsood said: "I really struggled to find hijab wearing women who played sports at high level. I never really had that kind of role model. Being a young Muslim women, wearing a hijab and playing the Hundred at such a high level will hopefully inspire quite a few other Muslim girls."
The 22-year-old was an inspiration on the field as well. In the Hundred match between Phoenix and Manchester Originals, Maqsood's side posted 113-9 off their 100 deliveries.
In reply, Manchester were restricted to 93-8, with Maqsood picking up two wickets for 14 runs off 20 balls.T
here is more to Maqsood than just the Hundred. She was part of the Scotland side during the 2017 Women’s World Cup qualifier. Apart from cricket, Maqsood is a black belt in taekwondo and was also her country’s flag bearer at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
