THE face of women’s cricket in Pakistan, veteran all-rounder Sana Mir decided to hang her boots on Saturday from all forms of international cricket. She called it a day after serving Pakistan cricket for fifteen years and representing the country in 226 international matches.
She indeed had a glittering and a very successful career. Thirty four years old took the top seat in women’s cricket ODI rankings in 2018 and helmed the team that took home gold from the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games. She is one of only nine women cricketers to have taken 100 wickets and scored 1,000 runs in ODI matches. She has left the game when in fact she was at the peak. It is quite rare in our cricket and one can see that in men’s cricket where there are some seniors who have become a burden on the team but are not ready to go home and give opportunity to the new blood. Anyway, without any doubt, Sana Mir was the most known female cricketer in Pakistan and she did so by fighting against the odds to put women’s cricket on the country’s map. Her rise dovetailed with the growth in sporting opportunities for Pakistani women, who were not allowed to play in open fields until the early 2000s. She will always be remembered as true legend and inspiration for the girls who want to join any sports.
Given her marvellous contributions, she deserves a grand adieu and one expects that when the situation improves vis-à-vis the pandemic that has currently brought everything to a standstill, the Cricket Board will honour her in a befitting manner for services she rendered for the country’s women cricket. And most importantly, the cricket board must engage and utilise her services to further promote women cricket. In fact, our women can bring more laurels for country in the field of sports, if they are provided with right kind of opportunities and environment to excel.
