Sharmin's on the right, and left, path

Rumana Ahmed, the Bangladesh captain, brought on the inexperienced Shaila Sharmin in the 29th over of the Pakistan innings, when old hands Bismah Maroof and Nain Abidi were just getting warmed up to impose themselves.

This was the first over for Sharmin in the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier 2017. A makeshift option, as her captain would later describe her, while the regular attack caught its breath after a tough morning under the sun at the P Sara Oval in Colombo.

First delivery, left-arm spin around the wicket. Short and wide, Abidi hit it for four.

The second and third were sent down with more control. One run.

Sharmin took her time to bowl the fourth. She waited, changed her field, changed the strapping on her hand. Maroof, the left-hander and Pakistan’s T20 captain, was on strike. A wide ball.

But, hang on – did she just change bowling arms?

Sharmin’s player profile is nothing special – yet. She made her international debut back in 2013. This match on Wednesday (February 8) was her fifth One-Day International.

She’s 27. Right-hand bat. Right-arm offbreak.

But there it was, left-arm orthodox going away from the right hander, and right-arm offspin around the wicket to the left-hander.

“It always creates a lot of interest when she does that. To us it’s normal, because that’s what she does,” said David Capel, the Bangladesh coach and former England batsman, explaining his ward’s ambidextrous technique. “That’s her choice.”

Ambidextrous bowlers aren’t a common sight in cricket circles – but not as rare as they were a few years ago. India has Akshay Karnewar, Pakistan has Yasir Jan, Sri Lanka has young Kamindu Mendis, while Jemma Barsby got people to sit up and notice in the Women’s Big Bash League.

Sharmin’s naturally a right-hander, which is also her favoured hand for batting.

Some coaches urge upcoming cricketers to pick a discipline – or a preferred hand – and perfect their actions with it, rather than dabbling with multiple styles and compromise on all of them. Capel isn’t one of them.

“Her strongest bowling arm is her right arm off-spin. Today she bowled her left-arm and bowled that particularly well, and when she erred, it was with her right arm,” he pointed out. “It’s a skill we would encourage her to develop. At times I think there’s a case where she could bowl left-arm over the wicket to the left-handers rather than just automatically bowling the right arm. But that’s things we shall work on. She’s a developing cricketer and an exciting cricketer, so we’ll continue to work and develop that.”

Sharmin finished with 18 runs in her three overs, as Pakistan posted 227 on the way to a 67-run win. It is unlikely it will be the last time she bowls in the tournament, as she has the backing of her captain.

“Combination is good. I like her approach,” says Rumana, urging her teammate to keep at it. “Day by day she improves.”