Run Nabiran run
Some defenders hold the line. Bangladesh's Nabiran Khatun owns it.
On Monday night, inside a jubilant Bashundhara Kings Arena in Dhaka with the scoreline reading 4-0 and the SAFF Women's Under-20 Championship trophy already in Bangladesh's grasp, many players would've taken a breather. She didn't.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Nabiran was still at it: legs pumping, mind ticking, body flinging.
The clock had ticked past 90 and into the last minute of five-minute extra time. Nepal had found a rare opening: four attackers against three defenders. A crisp pass sliced Bangladesh's high backline, eliminating captain Afeida Khandaker from making any impact. The right-sided forward raced into the gap. The crowd gasped.
But Nabiran appeared adamant at keeping a clean sheet. She swept across from centre to left like wind on water, channelised her inner Usain Bolt from a position of disadvantage and eventually intercepted with a sliding tackle made look easy.
"There's no fear in defence. You just clear the ball, job done. It's the strikers who get nervous -- they're always thinking, 'Can I score from this?' We don't have any of that fear," Nabiran told the media at the Intercontinental Hotel in the capital on Tuesday afternoon.
Standing about five-foot-six -- significantly taller than the pack average -- she plays like a sentinel born on a battlefield. There's nothing half-hearted about her game.
The girl from Magura once led her district team to the JFA U-14 title during the height of the pandemic, in late 2020. That day, she scored twice in the final. She was not part of the SAFF Championship 2024-winning squad, but had played all four matches in the team's runners-up run in SAFF Under-18 Championship 2022.
Back then, though, she was a striker -- a fact that makes her current role all the more fascinating.
"I'm a student at BKSP. Back then, I used to play as a striker. But after coming here, the coach said I'd do better in defence and told me to train in that role."
It was learned that her shooting skills left more to be desired; but perhaps her sense of space had caught the eye of the coaching staff, and she was encouraged to adapt -- likely during preparations for February's UAE friendlies .
She was also part of Bangladesh's defence unit in the historic Asian Cup Qualifiers campaign in Myanmar -- one that marked a fresh chapter under English coach Peter Butler.
In those matches, although she didn't start, having Nabiran in the senior squad perhaps presents Butler with the luxury of sticking to his Plan A -- especially after seeming her ability to comfortably shift into lower-midfield areas when Bangladesh U-20s built from the back in their two key fixtures against Nepal.
Moreover, her striker's instinct when chasing a late goal could be utilised.
In a team where experience was thinning -- as defensive mainstays like Masura Parvin and Akhi Khatun went out of the frame for different reasons -- a newbie in Nabiran appears on course to be more than defensive backups for the senior team aiming higher than ever before: Asian Cup 2026, World Cup dreams, Olympic ambitions.
She says it "feels great" playing as a defender. "You've seen that I didn't allow any attacks to get through my side -- I blocked them all, one way or another."
Asked which role seems easier -- forward or defender -- she offered a measured response: "It really depends on how you approach the game and how you're asked to play… We always play the way our coach plans it."
Next stop: Laos, where the U-20s face South Korea, Timor-Leste and the hosts from August 6 to August 10.
"We're always confident when it comes to SAFF [tournaments]. Right now, our focus is on the AFC [Asian Cup U-20 Qualifiers].
"You've seen how well our seniors have done. We hope to perform… and deliver like they have."
For women and girls watching -- young fans, casual followers, mothers and daughters alike -- Nabiran Khatun wearing No. 2 offers a quiet kind of strength. A reminder that defenders, too, can inspire; that grit and grace can share the same jersey.
In a storm or at war, you'd want her by your side.
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