Asher Butt
Former Pakistan women’s cricket captain Sana Mir has launched a scathing critique of the gendered backlash directed at the national women’s team following their disappointing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup campaign in England and Wales, warning that the toxic scrutiny is deeply damaging to the sport and society at large.
While Mir did not shy away from acknowledging the team’s sub-par on-field performances during the tournament, she firmly contextualized the criticism by reminding the nation of the monumental milestones the women’s side has achieved over the past decade.
“We are talking about a team that secured Pakistan’s first-ever World Cup victory over India in 2012, and beat them again in 2016,” Mir pointed out. She also highlighted the team’s historic gold medal triumph, series victories against cricketing heavyweights like South Africa, the West Indies, and New Zealand, their rise to the top of the ICC rankings, and the induction of several Pakistani players into the ICC Hall of Fame.
Despite this formidable legacy, Mir expressed deep frustration over the disproportionate and deeply personal nature of the criticism female cricketers face compared to their male counterparts, who have also suffered high-profile World Cup failures.
“A respectful way to criticize”
Mir, who has long been an advocate for women’s rights in sports, highlighted the deeply entrenched sexism that colors public discourse.
“Has any female cricketer ever said about a male cricketer, ‘He looks better making bread in a tandoor; he should do that instead of playing cricket’?” Mir asked, highlighting the abusive stereotypes female athletes are subjected to. “There is a respectful way to criticize.”
She argued that the current environment actively seeks to destroy the confidence of female players the moment they make a mistake. “The way we discuss women’s cricket, the way we judge these players, and the extent to which we try to destroy their confidence whenever they make mistakes—it is deeply concerning. Unless we change this mindset, we will never move forward,” Mir stated.
The threat of ai and digital abuse
The former captain also raised the alarm over the modern vectors of abuse, condemning the rise of AI-generated videos, baseless allegations, and coordinated personal attacks targeting players and their families in the aftermath of the World Cup exit.
Mir warned that normalizing such behavior extends far beyond the boundary ropes. “Your daughters are not safe, your families are not safe, and society as a whole suffers,” she cautioned, linking the online harassment of athletes to a broader societal crisis of suppressing women.
The ‘Australian’ contrast
To illustrate the stark contrast in global sporting cultures, Mir pointed to the solidarity displayed by male cricketers in Australia. She noted that Australian men once refused to sign their own central contracts until Cricket Australia guaranteed equal pay and conditions for their female colleagues.
Challenging the Pakistani cricketing ecosystem, Mir questioned whether such unity and respect for female athletes could ever be imagined in her home country, where gendered criticism remains rampant.
A plea for constructive accountability
Mir concluded her remarks with a clear distinction between holding athletes accountable and weaponizing their gender.
“Criticize performances if you must, but do so constructively. Hold players accountable, but stop attacking them because they are women,” she said. “We need to change this mindset if we truly want Pakistan cricket—and our society—to move forward.”
Her powerful intervention has sparked a widespread debate across social and traditional media, with many prominent voices in the cricket fraternity agreeing that addressing systemic gender bias, closing infrastructure gaps, and reforming player contracts are urgent necessities if Pakistan is to build a sustainable and respectful future for women’s cricket.
