Former Pakistani cricketer-turned-commentator Sana Mir has clarified her mention of ‘Azad Kashmir’ and refused to apologize for it, saying she does not want to politicize her statement. This came while she was commentating during the ICC Women's World Cup 2025 match between Pakistan and Bangladesh on Thursday.
Sana Mir caused a huge controversy while talking about Pakistani cricketer Natalia Pervaiz as being from 'Kashmir', which is used while talking about Jammu and Kashmir in India, before correcting herself to 'Azad Kashmir', which is used for part of Kashmir occupied by Pakistan.
This caused widespread outrage on social media, as many viewed it as a politically charged comment.
Sana had said while commentating during the match, "...captaining a very young side. Yes, they have won the qualifiers, but a lot of these players are new. 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."
While the International Cricket Council (ICC) has yet to issue a remark on the sensitive situation, Sana took to social media to clarify.
Sana stated that her intention was just to illustrate Natalia's problems as a result of the region in which she grew up. The former Pakistan women's team captain requested that the issue not be 'politicized' because she had no malice in her heart and did not mean to damage feelings.
"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 a public level. My comment about a Pakistani player's hometown was only meant to highlight the challenges she faced in coming from a certain region in Pakistan and her incredible journey," she posted on X.
"It is part of the storytelling we do as commentators as to where the players come from. I did that today for two other players coming from other regions, too. 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," Sana added.
She also attached a screenshot of Natalia Pervez’s profile on a website and pointed out that this is how she does research on players during commentary duties.
"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 concluded.
