The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced former Pakistan captain Sana Mir as the ambassador for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier.
Sana, who represented the Green Shirts in 226 internationals – 137 as captain – will be closely following the 10 participating teams and their players during the two-week-long tournament.
The former skipper is eagerly anticipating an intense battle for the two finalist spots for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh later this year. The action in Abu Dhabi commences from April 25 to May 7.
Sana is thrilled with her role as ambassador and looks forward to watching the competitive cricket as teams vie for their places in the main event.
“Other than the big qualification opportunity for two teams, the tournament will provide excellent exposure to the Associate Member teams and their players. The women’s game has become more and more competitive in recent years and the 10 nations involved in the Qualifier possess a number of quality players.”
As a captain and player, she has experience participating in several qualifying events for Pakistan and cherishes some delightful memories, especially from the 2008 edition of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifying Series where she earned the joint Player of the Series award.
“My aim is to talk to the various teams and players during the Qualifier and help guide them on how to deal with the pressure of these events and what it takes to succeed. Pakistan had a great record in these events, and I in particular have fond memories of the 2008 edition of the 50 over World Cup qualifier event that I played,” Sana continued.
The 38-year-old has remained connected to the sport since her retirement. She believes that the disparity between the top-ranked teams and Associate Member teams is starting to narrow, thanks to increased playing opportunities for players through ICC pathway events.
“The players are playing a lot more and getting decent exposure through their domestic tournaments and the ICC pathway programme. For women’s cricket to grow further, the regional events and the Qualifier are incredibly important. While Sri Lanka and Ireland will probably be favourites to qualify alongside Thailand, teams like Scotland, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, Uganda and Zimbabwe surely have the potential to cause major upsets and make their way through to the semis and eventually to the final as well.
“I am particularly keen to see the progress of some of the Zimbabwe players whom I worked with in my mentorship role during the inaugural ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup in South Africa last year.”
The ten teams participating in the Qualifier have been split into two groups of five each. The top two teams from each group will progress to the semi-finals, with the winners of the semi-finals securing their place in Bangladesh.
Group A comprises Scotland, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uganda, and the USA, whereas Group B consists of Ireland, the Netherlands, the UAE, Vanuatu, and Zimbabwe.
- Sana Mir
