Latest news with #SanaMir
United News of India
27-05-2025
- Sport
- United News of India
Newly crowned No1 T20I bowler Sadia Iqbal credits Pakistan legend Sana Mir
Dubai, May 27 (UNI) Left-arm orthodox spinner Sadia Iqbal dethroned England's Sophie Ecclestone to take the top spot in the new ICC Women's Player Rankings. The Pakistan tweaker, who was one of the leading performers at last year's ICC Women's T20 World Cup, rose one position to reign supreme. Basking in the moment, the 29-year-old expressed delight and thanked those who have played a part in her journey. 'I've become the number one ranked T20I bowler, I'd like to thank everyone who is celebrating this achievement, I've received a lot of calls and messages,' Iqbal said in a Pakistan Cricket Board video. 'I'm glad that everyone is happy for me and appreciative of my achievement,' she said. The left-arm spinner lauded former Pakistan skipper Sana Mir for helping her through with her bowling, an ICC report said. 'She (Sana Mir) obviously had a lot of experience in women's cricket. The way she's served Pakistan cricket, she has been number one bowler during her days," Iqbal said. 'I used to keep talking to her while we were on tour regarding bowling different variations," she said. 'Even when we were at the World Cup, I had a really good conversation about bowling with her. She helped me a lot," Iqbal said. Iqbal played a pivotal role in Pakistan's flawless run at the recent ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 Qualifier, helping the team punch their ticket to the marquee event in India later this year. Snapping nine wickets in five matches, Iqbal's efforts guided Pakistan to an invincible campaign at home - one she hopes they can repeat come the Cricket World Cup. 'World Cup is the biggest event, we've secured our qualification recently. Our goal is to play the way we did in the Qualifier," she said. 'We'll look to pick from where we ended that tournament, and hope to finish the World Cup the same way," Iqbal added. On her personal goal moving forward, she added, 'For me, the team always comes first. And that helps me as well as the team. My goal is to help my team win the World Cup.' Pakistan Women secured their qualification spot for the eight-team tournament alongside Bangladesh via the Qualifier at home. They'll vie for the top prize against defending champions Australia, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, South Africa and hosts India. UNI BM
Gulf Today
02-04-2025
- Sport
- Gulf Today
WC qualifier plays huge role for small teams: Mir
Former Pakistan captain Sana Mir feels that the upcoming ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 Qualifier in Pakistan will benefit teams like Bangladesh, Ireland and West Indies and welcomed the approach taken by the ICC to grow the game. The qualifier tournament set to take place in Pakistan from April 9, featuring six teams, will finalise the remaining teams for the eight-team tournament later this year in India. Hosts Pakistan will be joined by ICC Full Members Bangladesh, Ireland and West Indies along with Associate Members Thailand and Scotland, for the Qualifier. 'One of the great things about the ICC Women's Championship, which I benefited from hugely in my career, is that it has been expanded to 10 teams. I feel that plays a huge role, especially for countries like Bangladesh and Ireland now that they have been part of that,' ICC quoted Sana as saying in a release. 'It is a very exciting time in women's cricket and if we keep doing things right, there will be more than four or five teams who people want to see playing against each other. 'In the last World Cup, a lot of matches went down to the last couple of overs and that's what you want to see as an audience. Women's cricket is providing that,' she added. That jeopardy is on the up at all levels, and the hope now is that fans will see plenty of it in Pakistan over the next few weeks. Bismah Maroof, who succeeded Sana as Pakistan captain, added, 'Women's cricket has improved massively in the past few years and it's going from strength to strength. The associate countries are playing really well, Scotland and Thailand have come a long way and as a full member country, Ireland have grown a lot.' ICC Manager - Women's Cricket and former India international cricketer, Snehal Pradhan, is looking forward to the event in Pakistan where six teams will compete for two spots at the Women's Cricket World Cup in India later this year. Pradhan believes that with the standard rising across the board, predicting who will come through qualifying is almost impossible. 'It's very high stakes cricket in terms of what is up for grabs. The last Cricket World Cup in New Zealand was an extremely successful event. We saw just how high-profile that event is and that is the opportunity that two of the six teams are going to be fighting it out for,' she said. 'Cricket with context, huge outcomes on the line, great opportunities so it's a brilliant tournament, everyone is excited about it. We've got four full members, two associate members, so this is an extremely competitive pack of six teams. 'It really is hard to pick the two teams who are going to get through. We saw Thailand make it to the T20 World Cup in 2020, so they have shown that they are able to get to the world stage, Scotland got to the T20 World Cup in 2024 so they can do it as well. No team will be taken lightly.' Agencies
Int'l Cricket Council
01-04-2025
- Sport
- Int'l Cricket Council
Anticipation builds as former cricketers look ahead to Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2025
The strength and depth of women's cricket will be on full display as six teams compete for the final two spots at the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup in India later this year. The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 Qualifier, set to take place in Pakistan, will feature the hosts alongside Full Members Bangladesh, Ireland and West Indies, as well as Associate Members Thailand and Scotland. ALSO READ: ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 Qualifiers Ultimate Guide – All you need to know WATCH: Snehal Pradhan leads the way for women's cricket Former Team India player Snehal Pradhan shares her journey as a trailblazer for covering women's cricket, with thanks to NIUM Snehal Pradhan, ICC Manager - Women's Cricket and former India international cricketer, emphasised the significance of the tournament, stating, 'It's very high stakes cricket in terms of what is up for grabs. "The last Cricket World Cup in New Zealand was an extremely successful event. We saw just how high-profile that event is and that is the opportunity that two of the six teams are going to be fighting it out for. "It really is hard to pick the two teams who are going to get through. We saw Thailand make it to the T20 World Cup in 2020, so they have shown that they are able to get to the world stage, Scotland got to the T20 World Cup in 2024 so they can do it as well. No team will be taken lightly." The quality of cricket in the women's game has improved significantly, with New Zealand and South Africa competing in the last ICC Women's T20 World Cup Final, while Nigeria and the USA delivered outstanding performances at the ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup earlier this year. According to Pradhan, these improved performances at all levels stem from a greater emphasis on expanding opportunities for teams through the ICC Women's Championship. 'The ICC Women's Championship expanding to 10 teams and the awarding of ODI status to five Associate Member teams at the start of this ODI cycle has created a large pool of teams who are in the race for an eight-team Women's Cricket World Cup.' WATCH: Pakistan's Sana Mir, an ambassador for the sport Former Pakistan captain Sana Mir praised the ICC for its efforts in enhancing the game. 'One of the great things about the ICC Women's Championship, which I benefited from hugely in my career, is that it has been expanded to 10 teams," she said. 'It is a very exciting time in women's cricket and if we keep doing things right, there will be more than four or five teams who people want to see playing against each other. 'In the last World Cup, a lot of matches went down to the last couple of overs and that's what you want to see as an audience. Women's cricket is providing that.' WATCH: When Bismah Maroof led by example against Australia in the Women's World Cup 2022 The sentiment was echoed by Bismah Maroof, who succeeded Sana Mir as Pakistan captain. 'The associate countries are playing really well, Scotland and Thailand have come a long way and as a full member country, Ireland have grown a lot,' she said. ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, 2025 News
