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UNITED NATIONS, Jun 10 (APP):Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad has congratulated Sana Mir, who became the first female cricketer from the country to be inducted into the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Hall of Fame, calling it a matter of great pride.
“As a sports enthusiast and a cricket fan, I am extremely delighted that Sana Mir has made it to the ICC Hall of Fame,” he said while talking to APP correspondent.
“She (Sana) has already broken many records, and this is another feather in her cap — a historic moment, a matter of great pride for the entire nation,” the Ambassador added.
In a career spanning 15 years, where she captained for eight years, Sana Mir picked up 150 wickets in 121 ODIs and 89 wickets in 106 T20Is, scoring 1630 and 820 runs respectively, the ICC said in a write-up. Her best year was 2014, where she collected 21 wickets in 11 ODIs, while leading the team to an Asian Games gold medal, a feat she had achieved in 2010 as well, one year after being appointed as captain.
In 2018, Sana Mir became the first Pakistani woman to reach the top of the ICC ODI Player Rankings. It wouldn’t be the only first for Sana Mir, who was also the first Asian woman cricketer to play 100 T20Is, along with being the first Pakistani woman cricketer to play 100 ODIs.
She was also the first Pakistani woman cricketer to win the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Cricketer of the Year award and is now the first Pakistani woman to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.
Sana Mir also created history at the WWC17 Qualifier by becoming the first-ever bowler from Pakistan to take 100 ODI Wickets, the ICC said.
She took over the captaincy in 2009 when she was 23, and from then on, she was consistently amongst the top 20 ODI bowlers, achieving the coveted No.1 ranking in 2018. Sana Mir achieved this feat after picking up seven wickets in a three-match ODI series against the top-ranked Australian side, being the highest wicket-taker in the series.
Her best figures in ODI cricket – 5/32 against Netherlands in ICC Women’s Cricket Challenge – also came under her own captaincy, where she led her team to a win. Her 5/14 in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2017 helped Pakistan qualify for the Super Sixes phase of the tournament, beating Scotland by six wickets.
Sana Mir’s T20I career best of 4/13 came against Ireland in the RSA T20 Cup, which Pakistan won, under her captaincy.
Apart from winning two Asian golds as a captain, Sana Mir has also led Pakistan in five ICC Women’s T20 World Cups and two ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup tournaments.
Under her captaincy, a multitude of teammates saw a rise in their rankings, as she continued to inspire girls in Pakistan to take up the sport, the ICC highlights. She also ensured her team earned more prominence in world cricket while achieving individual success as well.
Pakistan tasted their first ODI victory against South Africa under Sana Mir’s captaincy, with she winning 26 matches in both ODI and T20I formats as captain of Pakistan, in 72 ODIs and 65 T20I matches.
After stepping down as the captain, she continued to contribute to the team, the most notable performance being a four-wicket haul against South Africa. Her figures of 4-11 derailed the South Africa batting line-up, bowling them out for 63, their second-lowest total in ODIs. This also helped Pakistan register their biggest victory in ODIs, in terms of balls remaining.
Sana Mir was not just a consistent bowler for Pakistan, but also quite handy with the bat, scoring 1630 ODI runs and three half-centuries, including a half century that she hit in her 100th ODI match, joining an esteemed list of women who have hit 1000 runs and taken 100 wickets in ODIs, the ICC pointed out.