Sana Mir first Pakistan woman cricketer inducted into ICC Hall of Fame

By Special Correspondent

LAHORE: Former skipper Sana Mir has become first Pakistan woman inducted into ICC Hall of Fame. After making her debut in 2005, Mir captained Pakistan in 72 of the 120 women’s ODIs and in 65 of the 106 women’s T20Is she played, including two gold-medal wins at the Asian Games in 2010 and 2014. She is the leading wicket-taker for Pakistan in ODIs, taking 151 scalps with her offbreaks, and topped the ODI rankings for bowlers in 2018. “From dreaming as a little girl that one day there would even be a women’s team in our country to now standing here, inducted among the very legends I idolised long before I ever held a bat or a ball ––– this is a moment I couldn’t have dared to imagine,” Mir said. “I am incredibly grateful for this honour and hope to give back to the sport in any way I can.” Mir retired in 2019 as one of Pakistan’s most decorated athletes, having also served as a vocal advocate for women’s sports and mental health awareness. Mir joins seven other Pakistan cricketers in the Hall of Fame: Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad, Abdul Qadir, Zaheer Abbas, Waqar Younis and Hanif Mohammad. Mir has been inducted alongside India’s MS Dhoni, England’s Sarah Taylor, South Africa’s Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith, Australia’s Matthew Hayden and New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori.  The former off-spinning all-rounder, who represented Pakistan for around 15 years, joins an elite group of just 14 women and becomes the eighth Pakistani overall to receive the honour. She revolutionised women’s cricket in Pakistan during her 15-year international career from 2005-2019, setting numerous records including becoming the first Pakistani woman to top the ICC ODI bowling rankings in 2018.