Stereotypes are created by continuous repression of somebody’s desire by societal pressure. Sometimes it takes generations and many interventions to break that, at other times, just the free will of a determined person achieves it in a splash.
Abtaha Maqsood, a British Muslim of Pakistani descent, who represents Scotland Women in International cricket and Birmingham Phoenix Women in the inaugural edition of The Hundred seemed to have broken a stereotype by her sheer willpower.
A dentistry student from Glassgow, not only does Abtaha became the first woman to wear a Hijab (sacred headscarf worn generally by Muslim women to cover their head) in her international games for Scotland, but she also became the first cricketer to play a game in England and Wales sporting the Hijab. It happened during The Hundred where she has so far played seven games for Phoenix.
Talking about this unique feat, the 22-year-old said, "When I was a young kid and I first started wearing the hijab and started playing cricket, it was tough for me back then.” “And now that I'm on this big stage and I feel so comfortable with myself, it just feels amazing to me,” she added in an interview with Sky Cricket.
Saying that she didn’t feel she belonged on the biggest stage as she was having problems making her teammates and cricket board understand her needs and limitations, the leggie now feels that things have changed for the better.
"Cricket Scotland has learned a lot and now things like halal food, and wearing long-sleeved shirts and stuff like that, not wearing shorts, all that sort of thing is just like second nature to them. They just kind of know now not to give me non-halal food and always to make sure that there is food available for me. We've come really far,” said the bowler who has represented her national team in 18 T20Is and has so far picked up 23 international wickets.
Abataha feels that Birmingham Phoenix has been a great experience for her so far. But she focuses on the fact that representation of all ethnicities and all kinds of diversity is necessary for cricket and especially for young children to identify themselves with their role models.
"I think representation matters so much. When I was growing up I never really had a role model to look up to who looked exactly like me; I really hope to be that person for a lot of people and I really hope that The Hundred shows me in that light and people are hopefully able to be inspired by that,” she said.