Former Pakistan captain leaves cricket for Mental Health

Former Pakistan women’s cricket team captain Nida Dar has announced a break from the game to focus on her mental health. Nida Dar becomes the first Pakistani player to openly take a break from both domestic and international cricket for mental well-being.

The all-rounder revealed that recent personal and professional challenges have taken a toll on her well-being, which forced her to take a break from cricket. The former captain has requested privacy during this time as she takes the necessary steps to prioritize her health.

Nida Dar takes a break from Pakistan Cricket to focus on mental health

Announcing her Instagram handle, Nida Dar posted, “After careful consideration, I have decided to take a temporary break from cricket to prioritize my mental health and well-being. Recent personal and professional challenges have taken a toll on my mental health, and I need to take some time to focus on myself.

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I appreciate your understanding and respect for my privacy during this time. I am grateful for the support of my loved ones and look forward to returning to the cricket field when I am ready.”

Read Also: Shreyas Iyer picked as India captain

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nida Rashid Dar (@cooldar8)

I would like to inform that alot of things have happened in the past with me personally and professionally and this has affected my mental health. For this reason I am taking a break for a while from cricket to focus on myself.
Please respect the privacy.
Thank you. #respect 🙏

— Nida Dar (@CoolNidadar) April 24, 2025

Dar’s decision to take a break from cricket comes as the women’s team celebrates a successful ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier campaign, securing five consecutive wins and a place in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025.

Nida Dar's career highlights

Nida Dar, who had been part of the training camp for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier, was not selected for the squad due to fitness concerns. Despite this, she has not attended the camp in Faisalabad and later declined an invitation to participate in the National T20 Cup.

Read Also: Ravindra Jadeja blocked from this position in CSK

The Pakistani woman all-rounder, who last played for the Women in Green against New Zealand in Dubai last October, has informed the PCB about her decision. The 38-year-old player represented Pakistan in 112 ODIs and 160 T20Is, where she managed 108 and 144 wickets, respectively. She also has 1690 ODI runs and 2091 T20I runs to her name.

She is Pakistan's most capped player in T20I cricket and the first Pakistani cricketer, male or female, to pick up 100 wickets in the shorter format of the game.

ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 to be held under “hybrid model”

PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi hailed the women's team’s performance in the qualifiers but confirmed that the team will not travel to India for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, as BCCI will have to follow a pre-agreed “hybrid model,” similar to the one used for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 of the Men in Blue.

Notably, following the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, which claimed 26 civilian lives, there have been reports that the BCCI had written to the ICC, asking not to group India and Pakistan together in future tournaments.

However, a BCCI official denied the claim, stating it was "news to him." He said that these rumors are not true, and it is a wait-and-watch situation for now.