Former national team captain Jahanara Alam is looking to end her self-imposed break from cricket and rejoin Bangladesh’s setup before officially announcing her retirement. The veteran pacer has been out of action since December 2024, when she last featured against Ireland before stepping away due to mental fatigue and traveling to Australia, remaining absent from both domestic fixtures and international duties since. According to “She, ‘I want to retire by playing in the national team and that is the reason I have kept myself that fit’,” he added. Since then, she has not been involved in Bangladesh women’s cricket at any level, neither being part of the national set-up nor participating in domestic competitions.
Addressing the development on Thursday (October 15), Rafiqul Islam Babu, chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) women’s wing, confirmed that the cricketer recently reached out expressing a strong desire to play again. According to Rafiqul, she emphasized maintaining her physical fitness specifically to earn a final send-off on the field while wearing the national jersey, prompting the board to plan upcoming discussions regarding her potential comeback.
Her time spent in Australia was marked by significant controversy after she leveled serious accusations against several officials in the BCB’s women’s department, alleging sexual harassment. Jahanara further claimed that current captain Nigar Sultana had physically assaulted her, sparking widespread debate regarding the team’s internal dressing-room culture, though Nigar subsequently addressed those claims and defended her leadership approach. Nigar later addressed the allegations and her leadership style in an exclusive interview with.
Despite the lingering controversy, Jahanara remains focused on returning to domestic and international competition in Bangladesh. Commenting on team dynamics and past conflicts, Rafiqul stated that while individual personal rivalries may arise, grouping and internal factionalism remain completely unacceptable when serving the national interest.
