Fargana Hoque

Fargana Hoque's career has overlapped almost completely with the rise of Bangladesh women's cricket, her journey tracing the team's evolution from obscurity to growing competitiveness on the global stage.

Born in Gaibandha in 1993, her introduction to the game came early. During her school days, she often played cricket with boys during lunch breaks, though her father initially disapproved of her involvement in the sport. Support from within the family proved crucial in sustaining the ambition that had started to develop. Her grandmother played a central role in ensuring she continued to pursue the sport, even as she faced the expected social and familial barriers.

Her formal cricketing education began in 2008, when she got a chance to enter Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan. From there, she progressed quickly through the ranks. By 2010, she had entered the national set-up even though Bangladesh weren't a full-fledged international team yet.

Fargana was part of the historic moment in November 2011, when Bangladesh played their first official ODI against Ireland.

Across the next decade, Fargana featured in several of Bangladesh's defining milestones: their first T20I, their maiden T20 World Cup appearance in 2014, the Asia Cup triumph in 2018, and their entry into the ODI World Cup in 2022, where she registered the team's first fifty. She also became the first Bangladeshi woman to score ODI centuries both at home and away.

She has played over 160 internationals for Bangladesh, scoring more than 3000 runs across formats.