Former Pakistan women’s captain Sana Mir has reacted to critics targeting the Pakistan women’s team following their elimination from the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Taking to X, Mir called out the sexist nature of the backlash and drew a sharp comparison with how men’s cricket failures are treated, saying that the pain of the exit was real but the manner in which the team was being discussed was what troubled her the most.
“Our players could not perform the way we expected. It took many years to convince everyone that Pakistan’s girls have what it takes, that they can cause upsets,” she said, adding that she would continue to raise issues around tournament structure, contracts and domestic cricket, but stressed that the mindset surrounding women’s cricket needed to change first.
“What causes me the most pain right now is our mindset, how we discuss girls, with what lens, with what language, and how much we want to break their confidence when they make a mistake,” she said.
“Until we change this mindset, we will get nowhere,” she added.
Mir pointed to the Australian women’s team as an example of what genuine institutional support looks like, noting that Australian male cricketers had once refused to sign contracts unless women received equal pay.
“Can you imagine that happening in our society? Will we ever see that day?” she said.
Mir also called out the spread of misinformation, including AI-generated videos making false claims about players and their families.
“You are making AI videos full of lies about players and speaking about their families,” she wrote. “Your own players are not safe from this, nor is anyone else. My request to you is to offer constructive criticism and try to change your mindset.”
Mir also addressed the double standards during a media talk.
“Did our men’s team not lose World Cups? Did their performances not go up and down?” she questioned.
“Has any female cricketer ever told a male cricketer that he makes good rotis at the tandoor and should stick to that? There is a way to talk. These are your fellow human beings, part of your country, with minds and abilities, and they have already proven themselves,” she said.
Pakistan were eliminated from the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup after losing all four of their group matches, finishing fifth in Group 1 with zero points.
They lost to India by 64 runs, South Africa by two wickets and Bangladesh by 23 runs in their first three group games before Australia hammered them by 113 runs on June 23, bowling Pakistan out for just 86.
Pakistan face Netherlands in Bristol on June 27 in their final group game, though they have already been eliminated.
