Tag: Sana Mir

Former Pakistan women’s team captain Sana Mir has strongly dismissed criticism from the Indian media over her reference to “Azad Kashmir” during live commentary at the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025.

The controversy began in Pakistan and Bangladesh on Thursday, when she mentioned cricketer Natalia Pervaiz’s hometown as Azad Kashmir.

Indian outlets immediately jumped in and accused her of politicising the broadcast and urged the ICC to take action.

Rahul Rawat of India Today, Aaj Tak, and Sports Tak posted on social media platforms and criticized the commentator.

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“Former Pakistan captain Sana Mir has stirred a hornet’s nest by bringing up the Kashmir issue during live commentary today… The ICC is expected to act against Sana Mir.”

Senior journalist Vikrant Gupta echoed the sentiment, tagging ICC and BCCI officials while demanding “stern action” against Mir.

Fueling the debate further, Natalia Pervaiz’s Cricinfo profile — which initially listed her birthplace as Bandala, Azad Jammu and Kashmir — was later updated to Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Breaking her silence, Mir took to X to clarify and urged people to stay away from politics.

“It’s unfortunate how things are being blown out of proportion. My comment about a Pakistan player’s hometown was only meant to highlight the challenges she faced and her incredible journey. Please don’t politicise it.”

She emphasized that her words carried no political agenda and that she had no intention of hurting sentiments.

“As commentators, we focus on the sport, teams, and players, telling inspiring stories of grit and perseverance. There is no malice in my heart or intention to hurt sentiments.”

Mir also shared a screenshot of Cricinfo’s original listing to back her claim. “Commentators highlight players’ journeys and struggles — that’s our role.”

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has addressed a social media post by former women cricketer Sana Mir, stating that her comments are factually inaccurate.

Earlier today, Sana expressed her concerns on her official X account about the timing of the domestic 50-over tournament.

“So you are ruling out Pakistan from going past the group stage before the start of their campaign? What’s the point of the 50-over National Championship after the WC when you are only playing 3 ODIs in the build-up? Important to do constructive criticism for the betterment of the country rather than praising inefficiency,” Mir posted.

However, the cricket board emphasised that Sana Mir should have verified her facts before making public comments.

A senior official from the PCB Women’s Wing clarified that the National Women’s One-Day Tournament, listed in the recently announced 2025-26 domestic calendar, marks the beginning of a new season for Pakistan’s women cricketers.

The preceding one-day cycle concludes with the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, scheduled to be held in India and Sri Lanka.

Addressing Sana Mir’s concerns about the alleged scheduling of a “hasty” one-day tournament in an already packed calendar, the PCB reiterated its commitment to safeguarding the physical and mental well-being of its players.

The PCB official said that from July 7 to November 2, 2025, the national women’s team will be engaged in a comprehensive programme that includes two training camps in Karachi and Lahore, an away T20I series, a home ODI series, and a demanding ICC Women’s World Cup campaign featuring seven league-stage matches before the knockout rounds.

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The PCB spokesperson said that Sana Mir also claimed that the domestic 50-over tournament would be held “at the same time when the ODI World Cup is happening?”.

The Board official noted that this assertion is factually incorrect as the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup will take place from September 30 to November 2, 2025.

The National Women’s One-Day Tournament is scheduled to be held in Karachi from November 10 to 23, 2025, with the support period beginning on November 6, which is well after the conclusion of the World Cup.

Regarding preparations for the upcoming 50-over World Cup, the PCB has already initiated a 25-day fitness and skills camp in Karachi, which includes multiple 50-over practice matches.

The focus on ODI cricket will intensify once the squad returns from Ireland on 12 August, following a three-match T20I series, and begins preparations for the South Africa ODI series starting 25 August in Lahore.

Between August 25 and September 28, 2025, the ODI squad will undergo rigorous training and participate in three home ODIs, along with two warm-up matches against Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka A in Colombo, to sharpen their 50-over skills ahead of the World Cup.

It is also worth noting that Pakistan remained unbeaten during the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier held at home in April. Subsequently, all players participated in the National Women’s T20 Tournament in Karachi in May.

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LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday extended his congratulations to the former women’s team captain Sana Mir on her induction into the ICC Hall of Fame.

In an official statement, Naqvi heaped praise on Mir’s extraordinary journey and her invaluable contributions to the game.

“Well done, Sana Mir. The daughter of Pakistan has brought immense pride to our homeland. She raised the green crescent flag high and brought global recognition to Pakistan,” said Naqvi.

He went on to describe Mir as a national treasure and a true beacon of inspiration for aspiring female athletes across the country.

“Sana Mir is not just a cricketer — she is a symbol of hope, strength and perseverance. Her induction into the ICC Hall of Fame is a historic milestone for Pakistan women’s cricket and a testament to her hard work and resilience,” he added.

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Mohsin Naqvi further praised her for dreaming big and breaking barriers.

“Sana Mir dared to dream, put in the work, and ended up writing history. Today, one Sana Mir stands tall in the ICC Hall of Fame, and God willing, more Pakistani women cricketers will follow in her footsteps soon,” he further stated.

It’s worth noting that Mir has made history as the first Pakistani woman cricketer to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.

The 38-year-old off-spinner, who proudly represented Pakistan for nearly 15 years, joins an elite list of cricketing legends, becoming only the eighth Pakistani overall to receive this honour.

She now shares the space with greats like Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Javed Miandad, Abdul Qadir, Zaheer Abbas, and Hanif Mohammad.

Globally, Sana Mir becomes just the 14th woman cricketer to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.

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Sana Mir, former Pakistan captain, has added another feather to her illustrious cap, becoming the first woman cricketer from the country to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.

The 38-year-old off-spinner, who proudly represented Pakistan for nearly 15 years, joins an elite list of cricketing legends, becoming only the eighth Pakistani overall to receive this honour.

She now shares the space with greats like Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Javed Miandad, Abdul Qadir, Zaheer Abbas, and Hanif Mohammad.

Globally, Sana Mir becomes just the 14th woman cricketer to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, a massive milestone not just for Sana but for women’s cricket in Pakistan.

“This is quite an emotional moment for me,” said Mir on her induction. It has been a long journey from playing cricket on the streets of Pakistan to getting here.

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“There was a time when there were not enough women cricketers in Pakistan and nobody to look up to as a role model. Today, there are so many female cricketers who are examples for everyone.”

Mir’s international career began in 2005 with an ODI debut against Sri Lanka at Karachi’s National Bank Stadium.

Over the years, she donned the green jersey in 120 ODIs and 106 T20Is, taking 240 wickets across formats and scoring 2450 runs, including three fifties.

Sana Mir was also the first Pakistani woman to top the ICC Women’s ODI Rankings, the first Asian woman to feature in 100 T20Is, and also the first from Pakistan to play 100 ODIs.

Her legacy as a pioneer is cemented further by the fact that she was also the first woman to be named PCB Cricketer of the Year.

She captained Pakistan for eight long years — an era that saw historic highs, including two Asian Games gold medals in 2010 and 2014.

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The International Cricket Council (ICC) unveiled former Pakistan captain Sana Mir as the ambassador for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier on Wednesday.

Mir, who has captained Pakistan in 137 international matches, will be monitoring the 10-team tournament, where the two finalists will qualify for the Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.

The former captain expressed excitement to be part of the tournament as an ambassador, hoping to witness some great cricketing action as ten teams battle out for two coveted spots.

“Other than the big qualification opportunity for two teams, the tournament will provide excellent exposure to the Associate Member teams and their players,” said Sana Mir.

“The women’s game has become more and more competitive in recent years and the 10 nations involved in the Qualifier possess a number of quality players.

The former all-rounder has represented Pakistan in several qualifying events during her 14-year career and will share her experience with the players participating in the tournament.

“My aim is to talk to the various teams and players during the Qualifier and help guide them on how to deal with the pressure of these events and what it takes to succeed.

“Pakistan had a great record in these events, and I in particular have fond memories of the 2008 edition of the 50 over World Cup qualifier event that I played.

She along with Netherlands’ Caroline de Fouw jointly won the Player of the Series award during the 2008 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifying Series.

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Mir also believes that the gap between the top-ranked teams and Associate Member teams is getting smaller due to increased playing opportunities for players through ICC pathway events.

“The players are playing a lot more and getting decent exposure through their domestic tournaments and the ICC pathway programme. For women’s cricket to grow further, the regional events and the Qualifier are incredibly important.

She picked Sri Lanka and Ireland as favourites but did not rule out the possibility of upsets from lower-ranked teams.

“While Sri Lanka and Ireland will probably be favourites to qualify alongside Thailand, teams like Scotland, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, Uganda and Zimbabwe surely have the potential to cause major upsets and make their way through to the semis and eventually to the final as well.

“I am particularly keen to see the progress of some of the Zimbabwe players whom I worked with in my mentorship role during the inaugural ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup in South Africa last year,” she concluded.

The ten-team tournament will commence on 25 April in Abu Dhabi. All matches will be played at the Tolerance Oval and Zayed Cricket Stadium.

The teams participating have been divided into two groups of five each. Group A comprises Scotland, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uganda, and the USA, whereas Group B consists of Ireland, the Netherlands, the UAE, Vanuatu, and Zimbabwe.

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LAHORE: Pakistan Women’s team ex-captain Sana Mir has refused to become a member of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) newly-appointed Management committee.

Taking to Twitter on Friday, Mir said she would not be able to participate in the committee, citing her preference to contribute as an independent voice in the Federation of International Cricketers Association (FICA) and through her commentary.

“It is very humbling to be named in the PCB mgmt com.I would like to express my gratitude to all decision makers & everyone around the world who congratulated me.For now,I’ll not be able to participate as I look fwd to contribute through my independent voice in FICA & thru comm.” she wrote.

It is very humbling to be named in the PCB mgmt com🙏🏼.I would like to express my gratitude to all decision makers & everyone around the world who congratulated me.For now,I'll not be able to participate as I look fwd to contribute through my independent voice in FICA & thru comm.

— Sana Mir ثناء میر (@mir_sana05) December 23, 2022

 

Mir was part of a 14-member PCB committee constituted on Thursday by the federal government to run the affairs of the cricket board for the next 120 days. The government appointed Najam Sethi as the Chairman of the committee and interim head of the board after it repealed the 2019 PCB Consitution.

Besides Mir, the Sethi-led committee includes Shakil Sheikh (ex-PCB BoG), Gul Zada (ex-PCB BoG) Nauman Butt (ex-PCB BoG), ex-Test cricketers Haroon Rashid, Shahid Khan Afridi and Shafqat Rana Aized Syed (ex-PCB director NHPC), Tanvir Ahmed (ex-president Larkana Region), Advocate Supreme Court Mustafa Ramday and Chaudhry Arif Saeed (CEO Service Industries).

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LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has unveiled the commentary and presenter panel for the upcoming women’s series between Pakistan and Ireland, former captain Sana Mir included.

In a press release, PCB revealed that former Irish cricketer and renowned commentator Andrew Leonard will also be commentating in the upcoming series.

Former captain Sana will only commentate amid the WT20I series, scheduled for 12, 14 and 16 November.

Marina Iqbal, Ali Younis, Andrew Leonard, Sikander Bakht and Shah Faisal, on the other hand, will commentate through the tour from November 4 to 16.

Ireland Women’s cricket team’s tour to Pakistan also includes a three-match ODI series, scheduled from November 4 to 9. The series is a part of the ICC Women’s Championship.

Gaddafi Stadium will host all six tour matches, while entry for spectators to the stadium will be free and four enclosures namely Fazal Mahmood, Imran Khan, Rajas and Saeed Anwar will be open for fans.

Series Schedule

4 November – First ODI
6 November – Second ODI
9 November – Third ODI
12 November – First T20I
14 November – Second T20I
16 November – Third T20I

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DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has unveiled a star-studded commentary panel for the upcoming ICC Women’s World Cup 2022, Pakistan’s Sana Mir also included.

In a press release, shared on the official website of the ICC, the cricket council revealed the star-studded commentary panel which will provide expert opinion during the eight-team tournament in New Zealand from 4 March to 3 April.

The commentary panel includes recognizable voices of Naseer Hussain, Ian Smith, Simon Doull, former Pakistan captain Sana, India’s Sanjay Manjrekar, and Alan Wilkins.

The panel also includes two ICC Hall of Famers – Debbie Hockley and Lisa Sthalekar, while Anjum Chopra, Mel Jones, Lesley Murdoch, Natalie Germanos, Lydia Greenway, Stacy-Ann King, WV Raman, and Kass Naidoo will also be commentating during the global event.

It is pertinent to mention here that the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 will begin on Friday with the hosts New Zealand taking on West Indies in Mount Maunganui.

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