Sana Mir slams sexist backlash after Pakistan women pull out of World Cup

Former Pakistan captain Sana Mir has slammed the sexist criticism leveled 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.

Thanks to an impressive all-round display from captain Fatima Sana, they pushed South Africa close but fell short in the end. Their the campaign officially ended with a disappointing defeat to Bangladeshwhere the batting unit suffered a dramatic collapse.

In a video posted on Instagram, Mir criticized the gendered nature of the backlash, claiming that women cricketers are judged much 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.

“What hurts me the most right now is our mindset. When we discuss women, it’s the perspective we take, the way we talk about them and the extent to which we try to break their confidence whenever they make a mistake. If we don’t change this mindset, we will never move forward as a society,” Mir said in an Instagram video.

“Some people supported us, but mostly we saw players being beaten. More importantly, they’re being attacked because they’re women. Didn’t our men’s teams lose the World Cup? Didn’t their performances go up and down? 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 result in sexist abuse or personal attacks. She condemned AI-generated misinformation and abuse aimed at players and their families and called on people to treat female cricketers with the same dignity and respect as male athletes.

“We too sit at sports shows and criticize performances, but have you ever heard a female cricketer say about a male cricketer: ‘You better make rotis in the tandoor; that’s what he should be doing’? There is a way to talk about people. These players represent your country. They are your fellow man – they have such thoughts about themselves, why are they talking about themselves and have such talent?” Mir said.

“The way women are perceived is deeply disturbing. People are creating AI-generated videos, spreading one lie after another about the players and even involving their families. It is this mindset that suppresses women. And it’s not just your women’s cricket team that is suffering because of it – your society is suffering too. Your daughters are not safe, your elders are not really protected from these consequences, Mir.

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 played with a match-winning 63 and won the Player of the Match award, while Ayesh Zafar and captain Fatima Sana took three wickets each.

– The end

Issued by:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Published on:

27 Jun 2026 21:41 IST