Pakistan's Sana Mir Reacts After Her Exclusion From The World T20 Squad

Pakistan pulled off a selection surprise by leaving out former captain Sana Mir from their squad that will take part in Women’s World T20 the next month. The selectors ignored Mir, who has played 106 T20Is and was part of their setup in the 2018 World T20 from the squad that was announced on Monday. On getting dropped from the team, the 34-year old reacted through Twitter by publishing an entirely mysterious tweet.

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The off-break bowler, who is the highest wicket-taker for the nation in the shortest format, hasn’t been at her best in recent times. The veteran, along with the captain for the upcoming tournament, Bismah Maroof, are the most experienced players in the shortest format. The former Pakistan skipper reacted by posting a Tweet as “Don’t blame a clown for acting like a clown. Ask yourself why you keep going to the circus.”

Don't blame a clown for acting like a clown. Ask yourself why you keep going to the circus.

— Sana Mir ثناء میر (@mir_sana05) January 20, 2020

On being asked about her omission, chief selector Urooj Mumtaz conceded that Mir’s contributions makes her a remarkable servant for Pakistan cricket; however, the recent performances and the conditions down under have given rise to wield the axe. Furthermore, the selectors remained confident that they have chosen the correct mix of youth and experience, which would be useful in the event.

“The team has been selected keeping in mind the current form and performances along with the conditions in Australia and, at the same moment, we have come up with the right balance of youth and experience which will complement each other in the mega event.”

“Though Sana Mir doesn’t feature in the 15-player line-up, I believe we still have the desired experience in the squad. Sana has been a phenomenal servant of Pakistan cricket while being an inspiration to many girls out there. Unfortunately, her recent performances in the T20 format were not on her side.” Urooj said as quoted by Times Now.

Bismah Maroof has her say on Mir’s exclusion:

Skipper Bismah Maroof weighed in on the issue by saying that it was a tough call to choose between her and some of the emerging players who had been impressing. She also wished that experienced campaigner be part of their future endeavours with the same amount of intensity and energy.

“I wanted to have her in the squad over which I, along with the selection committee, had deep deliberations. We had to decide between her and the emerging players who had been impressing on all the stages.”

“I respect and support the decision of the major group and hope she will continue to serve Pakistan women’s cricket in future with the same passion and energy.” Maroof stated as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo.

Pakistan get their campaign underway by squaring off against West Indies on the 26th of February at the Manuka Oval in Canberra.

Pakistan squad: Bismah Maroof (c), Javeria Khan, Sidra Nawaz (wk), Nida Dar, Aimen Anwar, Muneeba Ali, Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Ayesha Naseem, Fatima Sana, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal, Anam Amin, Iram Javed, Syeda Aroob Shah

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