‘Those who spoke ill, now feel proud of me’

Over the last two years, young leg spinner Rabeya Khan has emerged as a permanent member in Bangladesh women’s team squads in white-ball cricket. Consistent performances with the ball and the ability to score runs down the order has earned the 19-year-old the stamp of approval from her skipper Nigar Sultana Joty and head coach Hashan Tillakaratne. Before the team’s departure for the T20 World Cup in the UAE, Rabeya spoke with The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan where she opened up about her bittersweet journey in cricket and what she hopes to achieve in the upcoming tournament. Here are the excerpts:
The Daily Star (DS): You captained the ‘A’ team, which comprised mostly of national team players, against Sri Lanka ‘A’ in a series recently. How was the experience and do you think this was sufficient preparation before going to play a World Cup?
Rabeya Khan (RK): I think the preparation was really good. The opponents were unknown to us. So, it was a good place for the World Cup preparation. About captaincy, I really enjoyed it. The seniors really helped me and because of that I didn’t face any difficulties.
DS: How did you get started in cricket?
RK: I’m a student of BKSP. But before my admission there, I had to go through a lot of hardships when I was pursuing cricket from my home in Barishal. People of my area used to make derogatory comments about me. My father had to endure it the most. He was the one who took me to different places to play cricket. I also played with my cousins or boys from my locality. Many asked him why I was playing with boys. But my father never said anything in reply. He always pushed me to play cricket.
My father [Md. Emdadul Hoque Khan] is a sports lover. One day in 2016, he told me about a BKSP trial and took me there. I got selected from the trial and got admitted to the BKSP in 2017. That’s when my cricket career actually started.
DS: Cricket is a very expensive game. It must have been tough for your father to provide you all the kits and gears.
RK: I will give the full credit of my cricket career to my father. He is a farmer and worked incredibly hard to help me reach this far. I have three maternal uncles and an aunt, who have helped me and my father whenever we were in need of financial support. My father takes tremendous pride in my success. Not only him, those who used to speak ill, now feel proud of me.
DS: Head coach Hashan Tillakaratne rates Bangladesh’s spin attack as the best in the world. Most of Bangladesh’s group matches will be played in Sharjah, which is known as a spin-friendly track. Will that work in favour of the team?
RK: We closely followed the recent South Africa versus Afghanistan matches in Sharjah to learn about the wicket. Our spin attack has always been good and it’s doing well right now. So, I expect we will perform well there.
DS: Skipper Nigar Sultana Joty thinks you have the ability to contribute more with the bat. What are your thoughts on that?
RK: As a batting unit, we have a tendency of getting bowled out cheaply at times. Like the coach and the captain, I also hope that I will be able to contribute with the bat alongside my bowling. I’m doing everything I can and hopefully my efforts will get reflected in the World Cup.