Why Pakistan Women’s Cricket Team Needs to Prioritize On-Field Performance Over Sana Mirs “Azad Kashmir” Remark

ByAnupam Pandey,SportsCafe Editor

Today at 1:54 PM

Why Pakistan Women’s Cricket Team Needs to Prioritize On-Field Performance Over Sana Mir’s “Azad Kashmir” Remark.

Former Pakistan women’s captain Sana Mir sparked controversy during the Women’s ODI World Cup by referring to cricketer Natalia Pervaiz as being from “Azad Kashmir” instead of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and the remark went viral, drawing backlash and demands for strict ICC action. The issue follows earlier controversies involving Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan’s provocative gestures in the Asia Cup.

Pakistan Cricket Team and bringing on the politics on the field is a love story that never goes out of hands. As the actions and the things done by Pakistan players in the Asia Cup 2025 were not enough, so their former captain and the current commentator Sana Mir has stirred a controversy where while being a commentator during the ongoing Women’s ODI World Cup match between Bangladesh and Pakistan, she made a remark that has now

During her commentary, Sana Mir mentioned that Pakistan cricketer Natalia Pervaiz was from “Azad Kashmir.” What drew even more criticism was that she first said “Kashmir” and then quickly corrected herself by saying “Azad Kashmir.” This statement has not gone down well with many, and a clip of the moment is going viral across platforms and soon after the video surfaced, netizens lashed out at the 39-year-old former Pakistan skipper. Many accused her of using politics on a cricket platform and called it an attempt to push a controversial narrative.

This is not the first time that cricket from Pakistan has been linked to political controversies and over the years, several such instances have shown how political statements find their way onto the field. Sana Mir’s remark has only added more fire to the ongoing debates, raising fresh questions about whether cricket should remain free of politics or continue to be dragged into sensitive matters.

How Pakistan Players Dragged Politics into the Asia Cup 2025?

The Asia Cup 2025 became a marquee event for all the players but by the end, it became a controversial topic for all the fans and the players as well. With the India-Pakistan tensions heating up, both the teams met three times in the whole tournament and each time, it was the Indian team who came out on the top. However, in the whole tournament, the Pakistan players brought up the Politics in the game and few of their players were constantly chirping on the field and riling up the Indian players with their actions. Some of them were:

1. Haris Rauf

The Pakistan pacer who went away for quite a lot of runs in the Finals of the Asia Cup 2025, Haris Rauf, once again became the center of controversy during the high-stakes match against India in Dubai. Despite being fined earlier in the tournament by the International Cricket Council for his provocative “plane-crash” celebration aimed at Indian fans, Rauf repeated the gesture in the final, showing little regard for the previous penalty.

The incident occurred in only the second over of India’s innings, right after Abhishek Sharma was dismissed and Sharma, who had been in fine form, attempted to loft a slower delivery from Faheem Ashraf but mistimed his shot, offering a straightforward catch to mid-on where Rauf was fielding. While television cameras missed the gesture, several fan-recorded clips from the stands , showing Rauf performing the now infamous plane-dip celebration.

Rauf did not stop at just one gesture as he repeated it multiple times while Ashraf celebrated nearby and the act was seen by many as crossing the line of sportsmanship, especially since it referenced Pakistan’s disputed claim of downing Indian fighter jets in 2019, a claim widely rejected internationally. Indian supporters and officials criticised the move as highly provocative.

This was not the first time Rauf faced repercussions for this behavior. Earlier in the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup, he had been fined 30% of his match fee for the same celebration during a previous clash against India and the fine was intended to serve as a deterrent, but the repetition of the gesture in the final suggests it had little effect.

2. Sahibzada Farhan

The another player who brought politics into the Asia Cup 2025 controversy was Pakistan’s aggressive batter Sahibzada Farhan. During Pakistan’s Super Fours clash against India on Sunday, Farhan’s celebration after reaching his fifty sparked heated reactions and criticism. He scored a quick 58 off just 45 balls, including a 34-ball half-century over long-on off Axar Patel in the 10th over of Pakistan’s innings.

After reaching his fifty, Farhan performed a gunshot celebration, holding his bat horizontally with the handle pointing towards him as he turned toward his dressing room and this display did not sit well with many Indian fans, who considered it in poor taste, especially given the already tense environment between the two teams. The celebration immediately drew social media attention and provoked debates about sportsmanship and on-field behavior.

Despite the backlash, Farhan remained unfazed. Speaking in the pre-match press conference ahead of Pakistan’s must-win game against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, he said that the celebration was spontaneous and not a usual practice for him. “It was just a moment. I normally don’t celebrate after scoring a fifty. I suddenly decided to celebrate, but I don’t care how people look at it,” he stated as Farhan emphasized the importance of playing aggressive cricket against all teams, not just India.