Sana Mir defends Pakistan women’s team against gender-based criticism

Former Pakistan women’s cricket team captain Sana Mir has strongly defended the national women’s team following its exit from the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup criticizing those targeting the players with gender-based abuse.

In a video shared on social media platform X, Sana Mir acknowledged that the team had failed to meet expectations. However, she stressed that mocking female cricketers and using offensive language against them was completely unacceptable.

She said it had taken years to convince people in Pakistan that women are capable of winning major international matches and producing remarkable performances. She added that the women’s team has proven its ability by winning important matches and series in the past.

Sana Mir said she has consistently raised concerns about issues such as infrastructure, domestic cricket and player contracts and will continue to do so. However, she emphasized that changing society’s mindset is equally important.

She questioned why female cricketers are singled out for gender-based criticism when the men’s team has also suffered World Cup defeats and poor performances.

The former captain also condemned the abusive comments, AI-generated fake videos and online smear campaigns targeting women cricketers saying such actions damage the players confidence.

She appealed to the public to criticize players constructively for improvement not to humiliate or demean them.