Sana Mir announces indefinite break from international cricket

Published November 20, 2019
Sana Mir's announcement comes weeks before ODI and T20 series against England. — AP/File
Sana Mir's announcement comes weeks before ODI and T20 series against England. — AP/File

Right-arm bowler Sana Mir announced that she has decided to take a break from international cricket to "plan and reset my future objectives and targets", a press release by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Wednesday.

The announcement comes weeks before the commencement of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s Championship's one-day international (ODI) and Twenty20 series against England. Mir will not be available for the squad's selection for next month's matches.

"I have decided to take a break from international cricket and, as such, will not be available for selection for next month’s series against England," she was quoted as saying by the PCB. "I will utilise this time to plan and reset my future objectives and targets."

Mir made her ODI debut in 2005 and played her first T20 match in 2009. Last year, she became the first Pakistani female bowler to top ICC's ODI Bowling Rankings. Last month, Mir was honoured with the 2019 Asia Society Game Changers award at a glittering ceremony in New York along with six other women from Asian countries.

In her statement released today, Mir said that her "best wishes" were with the Pakistani women's team, which will leave for Malaysia on November 30 to play the series. Pakistan will play three ODIs and three T20s against England at the Kinrara Oval stadium in Kuala Lampur.

"[...] I am sure they’ll produce their best cricket."

She did not specify the duration of her break.

The training camp for 20 probables will begin on November 21 at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre in Karachi and the final squads for the series against England will be announced on November 27.

The three-match ODI series will begin on December 9 while the T20 series will begin on December 17.

Match schedule:

ODIs:

  • December 9: First ODI
  • December 12: Second ODI
  • December 14: Third ODI

T20s:

  • December 17: First T20
  • December 19: Second T20
  • December 20: Third T20

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