Imtiaz Ahmed/Guwahati

In the mid-seventies, a young Muslim girl from Guwahati walked on the untrodden path for the girls of her ilk. Shew choose cricket at a time when very few girls of her age would be keen to play the 'gentlemen's game'. The long willow bat and the hard cherry ball were a little too boyish for the girls to handle.

However, for Nazreen Ahmed, who  played table tennis, volleyball and basketball, cricket was a fascination she could hardly overlook. But she did not have peers to play the bat-and-ball game. Thus, she was left with the option of getting into the boys' group in her neighbourhood to pursue her interest.

Nazreen Ahmed as wicketkeeper

Nazreen Ahmed's mother was a table tennis player of repute in the 1950s and rest of the family was also oriented towards sports.

Gradually, Nazreen's interest in the 'macho' sport grew. Interestingly, her mother was taken as her sister while they played Tennis together. They were often referred to as the Ahmed Sisters who dominated the table tennis arena of Assam as well as the national circuit for some time.

Nazreen Ahmed with teammates of Assam in the late 1970s

Luck smiled upon Nazreen Ahmed in 1976 when Lala Amarnath came to Guwahati to conduct a coaching camp and she got an opportunity to train under him.

With the basics cleared under the tutelage of the legendary cricketer, there was no looking back for the young woman.

She opted to pursue a career in cricket and went on to become an elegant batter and wicketkeeper to lead Assam Eleven as the team captain to their first ever victory in women’s cricket at the Nagpur Nationals in 1981.

Nazreen Ahmed (left) with music legend Dr Bhupen Hazarika during a cultural event in Assam

However, it was not easy for Nazreen to taste success with the 84-run captain’s knock to lead Assam to their first ever victory in domestic cricket.

“We played cricket at a time when it was completely the opposite of what it is today. The first time I was selected to represent Assam was in the 1977 Chennai (then Madras) Nationals. We travelled by train without proper reservation. There used to be 10 confirmed reservations for 15 players forcing us to double up in a single berth. I was also quite scared at that time because I was out of home alone for the first time ever,” Ahmed told Awaz–The Voice.

DC Nazreen Ahmed inspects and supervises calamity-hit locations in Dima Hasao district

“We were accommodated in dormitories with mattresses laid on the floor and had to walk long to the toilets and bath; quite unlike these days when players travel by flight and stay at hotels with attached baths ... It was our sheer determination and passion which kept us going with all the hardships and struggled to learn from every outing. And, the result was sweet!” she added.

Asked if she faced any societal or family objection to a girl child playing cricket, Ahmed, who went on to become a civil service officer of the Assam government, said: “Not at all. I hail from a sporting family. It is indeed the unwavering support of my parents and our society that helped me pursue a career which very few of my age dared to. I got the national selection trials call-up too along with Ranee Narah (former Congress MP).”

Fomer Assam CM Tarun Gogoi inaugurates a film festival organised by Nazreen Ahmed as a bureacrat of Assam government

About sharing the ends with Ranee Narah, the first woman centurion of Assam and former president of Women’s Cricket Association of India, the contemporary of Diana Edulji, Subhangi Kulkarni and Chanderkanta Kaul said: “Ranee Narah used to be an aggressive batter. As a player she had strong nerves. She used to be determined all the time and would be at the highest level of aggression to achieve what she wants.”

Ahmed, who served the Assam government in different capacities at Guwahati Municipal Corporation, Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority, State Film (Finance & Development) Corporation, Jyoti Chitraban, Industries and Finance, showed her sportsperson’s spirit as the deputy commissioner of Dima Hasao district when the hill district faced worst natural calamities of floods and landslides in 2022.

She walked miles together in scorching heat on unmotorable roads along hilly terrains to carry out relief and rehabilitation work in the flood and landslides devastated district. She is also credited to have created the first ever digital archive of the Assamese film industry.

DC Nazreen Ahmed inspects and supervises calamity-hit locations in Dima Hasao district

About the status of women’s cricket in India, especially after the Indian women won the World Cup last year, Ahmed said: “There’s no comparison between women’s cricket of our times with what it is today. The girls have got a whole lot of modern amenities. Competition has also increased manifold. And, after the World Cup victory, women’s cricket has attained a whole new dimension in India. I’m happy that girls like Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues and others are getting commercial endorsement offers on a par with their male counterparts.”

Asked about Assam’s women cricket scenario, Ahmed, who had a brief return to cricket as chief selector of Assam women’s team, said: “Assam has not been lagging behind other states of India. In fact, Assam has got the first ever international cricketer and World Cup winner in women’s cricket  -- Uma Chetry. She is an incredible talent. So is IPL player Jinti Moni Kalita.”

DC Nazreen Ahmed inspects and supervises calamity-hit locations in Dima Hasao district

“Besides, I have personally observed that there are hundreds of talented young girls in Assam who can be future Smriti Mandhanas and Jemimah Rodriguess. The only thing the Assam Cricket Association now needs to do is scout those latent talents and groom them up. I’m sure that under the guidance of BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, the ACA will definitely take necessary steps to cash in on the ongoing women’s cricket renaissance of the country,” she added.

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Now that she has completely superannuated from government assignments after the expiry of her post-retirement engagement with Assam Public Service Commission member early last year, Ahmed wishes to reunite with the cricket community of Assam and extend her services to the development of women’s cricket in particular.

“I am grateful to ACA for having engaged me as chief selector of the women's team a few years ago. Now, I am completely free from government assignments, I am ready to extend my services in any capacity to develop women’s cricket in particular,” she said.