Sana Mir.
The recent memory that comes to my mind is her leg break to dismiss Delany in 2018 Women’s T20 World Cup. It certainly was one of the most beautiful deliveries I have seen in my life. What makes it great was Sana Mir’s thinking. She, usually, is an off-spinner.
The thinking. The innovation she brought to that delivery is as similar to what she has done to her country.
I missed watching Khan sisters doing wonders with the game in Pakistan. While I regret that, Mir is equally effective. From being hopeless, Mir took Pakistan to different heights. She made them powerful, strong as a team that didn’t give up easily.
She once said that women should have strong arms to survive. She led her team from the front, sometimes, she had to do it alone. She was ready to take up any role, to put the team first. She dodged the bullet for the team many times.
She did manage to break all the stereotypes around women’s cricket and
months ago, there were banners of her around the country, thanks to Uber.
Nobody knows how many young girls were inspired by that banner. The path wasn’t smooth like one would expect but her efforts certainly had made the path for her successors easier.
Be it difficult decisions or even the press conference, Mir had the sort of confidence which nobody did.
“We are here to win the World Cup”, she said during her debut as the captain. She was responsible for providing many matchwinning spells.
Keeping her records aside, she leaves a huge void majorly as a person. She never loses cool, talks to her bowlers regularly and you could see her help them talk through, to become a better player.
She would spend hours not only training hard but also to make sure that her team is doing right. She was a leader, someone who brought the revolution to the women’s game.
Maybe in future, Pakistan might win the World Cup and create new milestones. Nothing would be possible for the team without Sana Mir’s efforts and sacrifices.
Thank you, Sana Mir for all the contributions to the game. I don’t remember when was the last time I felt this way when a player from another country retired. You were more than just an inspiration. You are the reason why many Pakistan girls, in fact, the girls around the world are picking up the game by breaking stereotypes. Thank you for everything. Cricket certainly will miss you.
