Who is Sana Mir? All you need to know former Pakistan Women's captain who made controversial "Azaad Kashmir" statement on commentary

Sana Mir captained Pakistan Women’s Cricket Team for around a decade.

Former Pakistan Women’s Cricket Team captain Sana Mir hogged the headlines after her comments during the game between Bangladesh and Pakistan in the ongoing ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025. The match between the two teams took place in Colombo on Thursday (3rd October). 

Sana Mir made controversial comments on air during the game between Bangladesh and Pakistan. As she was describing Pakistan batter Natalia Pervaiz, she uttered “Azad Kashmir,” which often is used by Pakistanis to refer to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), which caught the attention of many and saw her facing a lot of criticism.

Speaking on air, he said: “Natalia who comes from Kashmir, Azad Kashmir, plays in Lahore a lot of cricket in Lahore. She has to come to Lahore to play most of her cricket there.”

As she made the comments, a lot of fans were quick to note that they lashed out at Sana Mir. They tagged the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), asking for a strict action on the former Pakistan skipper.

My comment about a Pakistan player’s hometown was only meant to highlight the challenges she faced – Sana Mir

Amid all the criticism, Sana Mir was quick to offer an apology. She took to her Twitter account, saying that she didn’t intend to hurt anyone’s sentiments. She said:

“It’s unfortunate how things are being blown out of proportion and people in sports are being subjected to unnecessary pressure. It is sad that this requires an explanation at public level. My comment about a Pakistan player’s hometown was only meant to highlight the challenges she faced of coming from a certain region in Pakistan and her incredible journey.

“It is part of the story telling we do as commentators as to where the players come from. I did that today for two other players coming from other regions, too. Please don’t politicise it. As a commentator on the World Feed, we are meant to focus on the sport, teams, and players, highlighting inspiring stories of grit and perseverance. There is no malice in my heart or any intention to hurt sentiments. 

“I am also attaching the screen shot of where I research most of my players from, whether from Pakistan or any other country. I realise that they have changed it by now, but this is what I was referring to.”

Who is Sana Mir? 

Sana Mir is rated as a legend of the Pakistan Women’s Cricket Team. She was one of the best captains to have led the team and was at the helm of the team for around a decade. Not only this, but also she led from the front. 

She was the first Pakistani woman to reach 100 wickets in T20 internationals and is still among the leading wicket-taker in women’s ODIs for the country. She also represented Pakistan in multiple ICC Women’s World Cups and T20 World Cups. After calling her retirement, she took up the commentary role. 

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