Sana to get Asia Game Changer Award

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Sana Mir might have charted the peaks of success in women’s cricket, but she doesn’t forget the difficult early days, when she was surrounded by obstacles and faced doubters.

Sana is set to receive the Asia Game Changer Award for her contribution to the sport and serving as an inspiration for women in Pakistan. Ahead of the occasion, she recalled the challenges she faced during her formative years, with sceptics questioning her decision to take up the game. “When I started in 2005, people would ask me why I’m doing this, (and tell me) it’s not a women’s game,” Sana was quoted as saying by Asia Society.

Having started off by playing street cricket at the age of five, Mir, like so many other budding female cricketers in the country, was faced with the lack of proper exposure. Undeterred, she started playing in the boys teams, and slowly moved up the ranks.

She joined the women’s national team in late 2005, and by 2009, graduated to captaincy. The very next year, she led Pakistan to gold in the Asian Games.

Along with the team’s success came Sana’s personal success as an off-spin bowler; in October 2018, she became the first woman from her country to claim the No 1 ranking in ODIs, and in May this year, became the most successful spinner in women’s ODIs. She was recently inducted into the ICC Women’s Committee as well.