Former Pakistan women’s cricket captain retires

In this file photo, former Pakistani women's cricket team captain Sana Mir, center, shakes hands with a Bangladeshi player after winning the ODI series at the Southend Club in Karachi on Oct. 6, 2015. (AFP)

• Mir was the most successful female spinner in one-day international history
• She led Pakistan to two World Cups and five T20 World Cups

KARACHI: Former Pakistan women’s captain Sana Mir announced her retirement from international cricket Saturday after a glittering career that saw her become the most successful female spinner in one-day international history.
The 34-year-old took the top spot in women’s ODI rankings in 2018 and helmed the team that took home gold from the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games.
Her rise dovetailed with the growth in sporting opportunities for Pakistani women, who were not allowed to play in open fields in the conservative Islamic country until the early 2000s.
“It gives me great satisfaction that I have been part of the great success stories for women’s cricket,” she said, according to a statement from the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Sana played 226 international matches since her 2005 debut.
She is one of only nine women cricketers to have taken 100 wickets and scored 1,000 runs in ODI matches.
She also led Pakistan to two World Cups and five T20 World Cups.
But early this year selectors dropped her from the squad for the T20 World Cup in Australia, hinting that her career was nearing an end.
“It is the right time for me to move on,” Sana said.
“I believe I have contributed to the best of my ability for my country and the sport.”