Mishu Chowdhury

Rokeya Sultana Mishu Chowdhury (born 3 March 1990) is a Bangladeshi former cricketer, umpire, sports anchor, and actress. She is also one of the first Bangladeshi women umpires to join the ICC Development Panel. She played in national cricket leagues from 2008 to 2012 but retired due to a ligament injury. Later she took on sports anchoring and acting. She acted in '71 Er Ma Jononi and several other films and numerous TV dramas.

Career
Mishu Chowdhury was born in Bogura. Her original name is Mst. Rokeya Sultana and nickname is Mishu Chowdhury. After completion of her intermediate examination, she came to Dhaka for higher studies. She completed her graduation in Accounting from Eden Mohila College, Dhaka, and a second graduation in Mass media & journalism from Stamford University. Mishu started her acting career in Bogra Theatre early in her life. She acted in 5 plays there, the last one being Nuruldiner Sarajibon (2009). She took up stage performance again in 2016 in the play Surgao for Desh Natok.

Mishu joined the Bogra district women's cricket team in 2006. As an all-rounder cricketer, she played in Club Cup for Mohammedan Sporting Club, Azad Sporting Club and Indira Road Krira Chokro; District Cup for Bogra district and Division Cup for Sylhet Division. In 2013 she had to retire from cricket due to a ligament injury. She also played Open Badminton singles & Doubles tournament.

While in her cricket career, Mishu starred in a telefilm Shudhu Tumi in 2012. Later she took on acting professionally with the film '71 Er Ma Jononi. She has acted in 5 films and more than 70 television dramas. She has also acted in several television commercials among which is Grameen phone's Sob Kotha Jomaya Rakh directed by Amitabh Reza Chowdhury. She regularly hosts sports programs as well.

Besides sports and media, Mishu also teaches in an English-medium school. She wrote a book titled Bangladesher Nari Kriketer Ovijatra on the women cricketers of the country.

Mishu got the Best Popular Anchor award and an honorific emblem as an actress by Business File. She was also given the Grameenphone 'Balance for Better' inspiration award in 2019.

Umpiring

On 29 October 2022, Mishu umpired her first match as one of the four first Bangladeshi woman umpires for 3rd Division Men's Cricket League team 2022. She also umpired in New York Bangladesh Cricket League 2023 as the first Bangladeshi women umpire in the USA which earned her an honorary award. Other tournaments she umpired in includes Dhaka First Division Women Cricket League 2023, Dhaka Premier Division Women Cricket League 2023, Dhaka women's First Division Qualifying T-20 Cricket League, Under-14 Men's Cricket League 2023, T-20 Men's Physically Disability Cricket League 2023, and Commonwealth Cricket League 2023. Her debut in international matches was at Women's U19 Tri-Nation T20 Series 2024.

In March 2024, along with 3 other women umpires, Mishu was selected for the ICC Development Panel of Umpires.