Rangpur to Canberra: Aussie 'Shimmy's special journey

Jannatul Sumona thought her career was over only two overs into her WNCL debut.  

It was a warm February day in the regional New South Wales town of Orange and Sumona's last three years in a new, foreign land had been building to this moment.  

She'd taken a huge career gamble by moving away from her native Bangladesh, for who she had already represented at international level three times, by moving to a new country that offered her no guarantees of a secure future.  

After starring in Sydney grade cricket for a couple of summers as an off-spinning allrounder, the ACT Meteors gave 'Shimmy' (as she is affectionately known by her Aussie teammates) a chance.  

Selected to take on the NSW Breakers, nerves and negativity got the better of the 23-year-old when she came into the attack in the 13th over after NSW chose to bat. 

While she remembers it as "probably 17 runs in two overs", the scorecard is a bit kinder in reflection, revealing her first two overs leaked 13 to Australian representatives Erin Burns and Phoebe Litchfield.  

"I thought, 'oh my god, these two overs might be me done. My career is finished!'" Sumona tells cricket.com.au.  

The cool-headed Meteors captain Katie Mack had other ideas though – keeping her first-gamer in the attack for seven straight overs – and bringing her back later on to finish her allotment with very respectable figures of 1-35 from 10 overs.  

"I’m very thankful to my captain Katie," Sumona says.  

"She gave me the opportunity and my last few overs were really good."  

The diminutive and energetic Sumona had completed her spell without conceding a boundary, catching the eye of all those in attendance at Wade Park.  

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Hailing from Rangpur, Bangladesh's fifth-largest city in the nation's northern corner, Sumona's passion has always been cricket.

She was always the only girl playing in her neighbour's tiny backyard, but the unassuming 'offie' reckons she was always better than the boys. 

As a seven-year-old, she remembers faking a sore stomach to get out of school so she could watch the cricket on television. And she fondly remembers the joy and pride felt of being good enough for representative cricket in school, and how great it was that she got to miss classes to play. 

And so it was no surprise to those around her that as a 16-year-old Sumona was told she had been selected to travel with the Bangladesh squad for their one-day international tour of Ireland in 2016.  

The wide-eyed Sumona's trip was about to get even better too, when she was told she would make her international debut in the first match in Bready.  

However, excitement turned to frustration as conditions in Northern Ireland – much like Australia's tour there prior to last year's Commonwealth Games – weren't suitable for cricket and the match was abandoned without a ball being bowled. 

It meant her debut didn't count and, cruelly, Sumona wasn't picked for the following two matches.  

The teenager bided her time patiently for another two years before inevitably the call came again – this time in an ODI against South Africa in Potchefstroom. 

The captains tossed the coin, the anthems were sung, and the now 18-year-old Sumona's debut was real. 

But she doesn't remember it for the weather, or the result, but for the way her maiden innings ended after a six-ball duck.  

"I finally get picked for my debut, this time against South Africa," Sumona recalls. 

"I didn't have a good day. 

"I nicked it, and the umpire didn't put his finger up, but I walked off anyway. 

"Now I look back on it and I feel proud but before I was thinking 'oh my God, why did I do that?"  

Opportunities dried up shortly after that for Sumona, prompting the genesis of a life-changing decision.  

With next to no scheduled cricket on the horizon for the Bangladesh team, a trip to the southern hemisphere became a real possibility.  

"I always wanted to do my higher education abroad, especially in Australia," Sumona says. 

"And my favourite cricket team has always been Australia. 

"I wanted to be best cricketer I could be, so with Australia dominating world cricket, I felt like I should try to see how they do things.  

"It was a tough decision, because of how young I was at the time." 

Sumona owes a lot to her school cricket coach Fatima, who helped convince her sceptical and protective parents that the move would be in Sumona's best interests.  

While a six-month stint in Sydney was initially agreed to by all parties, the Covid pandemic ruled out Sumona's return to Bangladesh in 2020.  

Thankfully, she immediately found comfort in the pitches of Sydney grade cricket, with the surfaces helping spin bowlers more often than not.  

Beginning at Sydney Cricket Club, Sumona moved to Bankstown the following year where she was named in the team of the year two years running.  

According to Sumona, those accolades wouldn't have been possible without the help and guidance of mentors Norman Kochannek and Ross Turner, both of whom have made her introduction into Australian life easier.  

New ACT Meteors head coach Erin Osborne says Sumona immediately impressed her. 

"She's spent a few years playing grade cricket in Sydney and was leading wicket taker in that competition," says Osborne.   

"She actually drove down to Canberra and attended one of our Meteors development squad trainings.  

"And I really like the way she bowled. She has good revolutions, fantastic shape, subtle changes of pace and a couple of variations." 

That talent and commitment caught the eye of then-Meteors coach Jono Dean, who thought the industrious off-spinner deserved a shot at a higher level. 

"She's got an awesome skill set and she's a ripper human," says Dean, who coached ACT for four seasons from 2019-20 to 2022-23.  

"We'd pulled her into the Meteors squad halfway through (the 2022-23 WNCL season) because she's a good off-spinner and showed promise." 

The selection from the ACT coaching staff was validated, with Sumona playing the final four matches of ACT's season, capturing seven wickets at an average of 21.85 and conceding just a shade over four runs an over.  

What Sumona lacks in physical presence, she makes up for with her unrelenting work ethic. 

Now living in Canberra, Sumona has been a constant at Cricket ACT's training complex in Phillip, practicing for hours long beyond what is scheduled and visiting on days off and 'rest' days too.  

"She's tiny mate. She'd be five-foot tall and weigh 40 kilos – she's got some work to do in the gym," laughs Dean.  

"(But) she's worked her arse off. She's been in around the complex every day.  

"I'd be like 'Shimmy what are you doing here?' and she'd say 'I just wanted to come in to bowl.'  

"By herself, it didn't matter. She'd come in and joined the boys program and bowled to the lads. She just loves cricket." 

***  

Sumona can't get enough of Australia – the culture, the people and most importantly, the cricket.  

There are very few similarities between sprawling city of her hometown Rangpur and the comparatively sleepy Australian capital she now calls home, but Sumona couldn't be happier with her new neighbourhood.  

And with her new employer. 

In May, Sumona's hard work, attitude and performances in her four WNCL games earned her a full-time contract with the Meteors, getting her one-step closer to her dream of becoming a dual-international.  

"I am so thankful to Cricket ACT for and the trust, respect and love," Sumona says.  

Dean says the feeling is mutual.  

"She's a lovely person to have around that group so I'm really excited to see her on that list again this year," Dean says. 

"I think she has an ability to play at a higher level as a genuine off-spinner." 

After taking a hat-trick in the ACT's pre-season series on the Sunshine Coast, her coach is hopeful of great things this season. 

"She's been a real find for us and a really important cog now in our bowling attack," says Osborne. 

"She's young and learning and developing her skill set, but she's definitely one to look out for. She had a fantastic pre-season. 

"She's very energetic, fantastic in the field as well. So she's been a positive influence on our group."  

'Shimmy' is planning to apply for Australian permanent residency and her dream of returning to international cricket still burns brightly – but now it's for her adopted country, not Bangladesh.  

"That would be awesome if I could play for another country," Sumona says. 

"I've seen lots of players play for two countries but not many female cricketers. 

"The cricket here is so competitive – if I could make it I would be very proud of myself. 

"But right now I just want to focus on the next match for ACT."