Former Pakistan captain Sana Mir has responded to Indian backlash over her reference to “Azad Kashmir” during commentary in Pakistan’s ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 clash against Bangladesh in Colombo.
The incident took place at the R. Premadasa Stadium when Mir, while discussing all-rounder Natalia Pervaiz, first said “Kashmir” before correcting herself to “Azad Kashmir.”
Addressing the controversy on X (formerly Twitter), Mir expressed disappointment that her words were exaggerated, stressing that “people in sports are being subjected to unnecessary pressure.” She clarified that her comment was not political but part of the storytelling approach commentators use to highlight players’ backgrounds.
“It’s unfortunate how things are blown out of proportion,” Mir wrote. “My remark about a player’s hometown was only to shed light on her struggles. There was no malice or intent to hurt anyone’s sentiments.”
She further emphasized that as a commentator on the World Feed, her role is to focus on cricket and the players’ inspiring journeys, not politics. To support her stance, Mir shared a screenshot of ESPNcricinfo listing Natalia Pervaiz’s birthplace as “Bandala, Azad Jammu and Kashmir,” explaining that this was her source of information—though the site has since updated it.
The clarification comes amid strained Pakistan-India cricket relations. Recently, India’s men’s team refused post-match handshakes with Pakistani players during the Asia Cup 2025, and the trophy ceremony was marred when Indian players declined medals from ACC and PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi.
With Pakistan’s women forced to play all their World Cup matches in Sri Lanka due to PCB-BCCI tensions, the controversy over Mir’s remark underscores how deeply cricket remains entangled with politics.
Bangladesh won the match by seven wickets, dealing another blow to Pakistan’s chances in the group stage.
