KARACHI: In a landmark moment for Pakistan cricket, former women’s team captain Sana Mir was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame on Monday, becoming the first Pakistani female cricketer to be added to the prestigious list of sports.
The announcement came during a ceremony ahead of the World Test Championship final, where seven new inductees were unveiled by West Indies legend Ian Bishop.
She was inducted alongside 2025 classmates including India’s MS Dhoni, England’s Sarah Taylor, South Africa’s Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith, Australia’s Matthew Hayden and New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori.
The former off-spinning all-rounder, who represented Pakistan for around 15 years, joins an elite group of just 14 women and becomes the eighth Pakistani overall to receive the honour.
She revolutionised women’s cricket in Pakistan during her 15-year international career from 2005-2019, setting numerous records including becoming the first Pakistani woman to top the ICC ODI bowling rankings in 2018.
She remains Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker in women’s ODIs with 151 scalps and was the first Asian woman to play 100 T20 internationals.
As captain for eight years, Mir led Pakistan to two Asian Games gold medals (2010 and 2014) and guided the team in five T20 World Cups and two ODI World Cups.
Her leadership produced landmark moments including Pakistan’s first ODI victory against South Africa and qualification for the 2017 World Cup Super Sixes, where her 5/14 against Scotland proved decisive.
“From dreaming as a little girl that one day there would even be a women’s team in our country to now standing here, inducted among the very legends I idolised long before I ever held a bat or a ball — this is a moment I couldn’t have dared to imagine,” she was quoted as saying by the ICC.
“I am incredibly grateful for this honour and hope to give back to the sport in any way I can. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my teammates, coaches and family for all their support over the years.”
Sana Mir retired in 2019 as one of Pakistan’s most decorated athletes, having also served as a vocal advocate for women’s sports and mental health awareness.
Mir joins seven other Pakistani cricketers in the Hall of Fame: Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad, Abdul Qadir, Zaheer Abbas, Waqar Younis and Hanif Mohammad.
