Ex-Pakistan captain slams sexist remarks at women's team: We break their confidence
Former Pakistan captain Sana Mir has condemned the sexist criticism directed at the women’s cricket team following its early exit from the Women’s T20 World Cup. Pakistan failed to qualify for the semi-finals after losing their opening three matches.
They pushed South Africa close, thanks to an impressive all-round display from captain Fatima Sana, but ultimately fell short. Their campaign officially ended with a disappointing defeat to Bangladesh, where the batting unit suffered a dramatic collapse.
In a video posted on Instagram, Mir criticised the gendered nature of the backlash, arguing that women cricketers are judged far more harshly than their male counterparts.
She urged fans and critics to offer constructive criticism instead of targeting players based on their gender, adding that such attitudes only undermine female athletes and reflect a broader societal mindset that needs to change.
“The thing that pains me the most right now is our mindset. When we discuss women, it’s about the perspective we adopt, the way we talk about them, and the extent to which we try to break their confidence whenever they make a mistake. Unless we change this mindset, we as a society will never move forward,” Mir said in a video on Instagram.
“Some people did support us, but what we’ve mostly seen is players being bashed. More importantly, they’re being targeted because they’re women. Haven’t our men’s teams lost World Cups? Haven’t their performances gone up and down as well? Yet when it comes to women, the conversation shifts to feminism and all sorts of stereotypes about how women behave.”
‘THESE PLAYERS REPRESENT YOUR COUNTRY’
Mir said criticism is part of sport but should never descend into sexist abuse or personal attacks. She condemned AI-generated misinformation and abuse targeting players and their families, urging people to treat women cricketers with the same dignity and respect afforded to male athletes.
“We, too, sit on sports shows and criticise performances, but have you ever heard a woman cricketer say about a male cricketer, ‘He’s better off making rotis in a tandoor; that’s what he should be doing’? There’s a way to speak about people. These players represent your country. They’re your fellow human beings—they have minds, talent, and they’ve already proved themselves. So why speak about them in such a manner?” Mir said.
“The way women are viewed is deeply troubling. People create AI-generated videos, spread one lie after another about players, and even drag their families into it. This is the very mindset that suppresses women. And it’s not just your women’s cricket team that suffers because of it—your society suffers too. Your daughters aren’t safe, your elders aren’t safe, and no one is truly protected from the consequences of this mentality,” Mir added.
After losing their first four matches, Pakistan suffered a crushing 113-run defeat to Australia in Leeds before ending their campaign on a positive note with a 37-run victory over the Netherlands. Gull Feroza starred with a match-winning 63, earning the Player of the Match award, while Ayesh Zafar and captain Fatima Sana claimed three wickets each.
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