Former Pakistan women’s team captain Sana Mir is optimistic about beating India, if the upcoming ODI and T20I series against their arch-rivals takes place according to plan.
After making her One-Day International (ODI) debut against Sri Lanka in 2005, Mir has represented Pakistan in 118 ODIs and 105 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) over the course of her career.
Pakistan has never won an ODI match against India as they have been on the wrong side of result on all 10 previous occasions.
While talking to Cricket Pakistan in an exclusive interview, Mir said: “Right now I’m not sure about whether we will play India or not but, if we do, we will look to use that opportunity to prepare for next year’s T20 World Cup and also improve our ODI rankings. We have never beaten India in an ODI match before, so we will be looking to change that this time around.”
The 33-year-old also spoke about the importance of staying positive, while talking about her cricketing journey.
“My cricketing journey was not easy by any stretch of the imagination but I always remained positive and believed in myself,” she said. “I’m sure you are well aware about the stereotypes that revolve around women’s cricket but I’m thankful to my friends and family for their continued support.”
Sana, the leading wicket-taking spinner in women’s ODIs, was recently named as players’ representatives on the ICC Women’s committee alongside Australia’s Lisa Sthalekar and Mithali Raj of India.
“My role in the committee would be to ensure that the women cricketers, who are not heard at the highest level, have a voice,” she said. “Hopefully I can play a role in a betterment of women’s cricket and its players.”
ir also talked about the importance of keeping women’s cricket in Pakistan at par with other cricketing nations. “Women’s cricket in other countries is progressing at a swift pace as compared to Pakistan,” she said. “We need to work on promotion of cricket at grass roots level and increase our player pool inorder to be at par with other cricketing nations. Also adequate exposure should be given to women’s cricket in terms of broadcasting matches live and giving due importance to their achievements on the field. Pay scale of women’s cricketers should also be improved.” Mir, who has never played a Test match for Pakistan, also lamented lack of five-day women’s cricket. “I have represented Pakistan for the past 13 years but have not played even a single Test match,” she said. “Only two to three countries, at present, are playing women’s Test cricket which is disappointing. We need to focus more on this area if we want to stay true to the game. ”
