The ex-Pakistani women’s cricket captain Sana Mir found herself in a spot of trouble during the Women’s World Cup match played between Pakistan and Bangladesh at Colombo on October 2.
While commentating, Mir mentioned batter Natalia Pervaiz as being from “Kashmir.” She immediately had to correct herself to say “Azad Kashmir.” However, this remark spread like wildfire across social media and received a lot of backlash, largely with the fans claiming she was mixing politics with the game.
Some even demanded that the International Cricket Council take action over the issue since it’s expected that the commentators should remain neutral during the staging of global tournaments.
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After the backlash, Mir posted a clarification on social media, saying she harbored no political ambivalence and that her words were part of telling the players’ stories. She continued by saying that what she really meant was that she wanted to emphasize Pervaiz’s struggles and triumphs, just as she had indicated for other players from various regions in Pakistan.
Mir wrote, “My comment about a Pakistan player’s hometown was only meant to highlight the challenges she faced coming from a certain region in Pakistan and her incredible journey. It is part of the storytelling we do as commentators.
She had also shared a screenshot of the source she had used for the research, noting that it had since been updated.
“I did that today for two other players coming from other regions, too. Please don’t politicise it. As a commentator on the World Feed, we are meant to focus on the sport, teams, and players, highlighting inspiring stories of grit and perseverance. There is no malice in my heart or any intention to hurt sentiments,” she added.
For the unversed, Sana Mir is widely respected as one of Pakistan’s greatest women cricketers. Over her career, she played 120 One-Day International (ODI) matches and 106 T20 matches and captained Pakistan in more than 130 games.
