Cricketer-turned-expert Sana Mir broke her silence after a huge controversy erupted over one of her comments during commentary in the ongoing Women's World Cup 2025 game between Pakistan and Bangladesh in Colombo on October 02. Notably, the former Pakistan captain said player Natalia Pervaiz comes from Azaad Kashmir. However, what was more shocking was that Mir initially said Kashmir; however, she corrected by stating Azaad Kashmir.
"Natalia, who comes from Kashmir, Azad Kashmir, plays a lot of cricket in Lahore. She has to come to Lahore to play most of her cricket there,” she said on the official broadcast.
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The clip quickly went viral on social media, and several fans tagged ICC and its Chairman Jay Shah, asking the expert to be removed from the broadcasting panel for the showpiece event. The former cricketer has finally taken to X and cleared the controversy, stating the issue was unnecessarily blown out of proportion as she said there were no intentions of making a political statement.
“It's unfortunate how things are being blown out of proportion and people in sports are being subjected to unnecessary pressure. It is sad that this requires an explanation at the public level,” wrote Sana Mir on X (formerly Twitter).
“My comment about a Pakistan player's hometown was only meant to highlight the challenges she faced in coming from a certain region in Pakistan and her incredible journey. It is part of the story telling we do as commentators as to where the players come from. I did that today for two other players coming from other regions, too,” she added.
Meant to focus on the sport: Sana Mir
The expert has also urged cricketing fans across the globe to just focus on the sport and not on other aspects. She said there was no intention whatsoever to hurt anyone's sentiments.
“Please don’t politicize it. As a commentator on the World Feed, we are meant to focus on the sport, teams, and players, highlighting inspiring stories of grit and perseverance. There is no malice in my heart or any intention to hurt sentiments,” wrote Mir.
“I am also attaching the screenshot of where I research most of my players from, whether from Pakistan or any other country. I realize that they have changed it by now, but this is what I was referring to,” she added.
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