Pakistan’s Captain Cool
Mir took over the captaincy in 2009 when she was 23 and from then on, she was consistently amongst the top 20 ODI bowlers, achieving the coveted No.1 ranking in 2018.
She achieved this feat after picking up seven wickets in a three-match ODI series against the top-ranked Australian side, being the highest wicket-taker in the series.
Her best figures in ODI cricket - 5/32 against Netherlands in ICC Women’s Cricket Challenge - also came under her own captaincy where she led her team to a win. Her 5/14 in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2017 helped Pakistan qualify for the Super Sixes phase of the tournament beating Scotland by six wickets.
Mir's T20I career best of 4/13 came against Ireland in the RSA T20 Cup, which Pakistan won, under Mir’s captaincy.
Apart from winning two Asian golds as a captain, Mir has also led Pakistan in five ICC Women’s T20 World Cups and two ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup tournaments.
Under her captaincy, a multitude of teammates saw a rise in their rankings, as she continued to inspire girls in Pakistan to take up the sport. She also ensured her team earned more prominence in world cricket while achieving individual success as well.
Pakistan tasted their first ODI victory against South Africa under Mir’s captaincy, with Mir winning 26 matches in both ODI and T20I formats as captain of Pakistan, in 72 ODIs and 65 T20I matches.
After stepping down as the captain, she continued to contribute to the team, the most notable performance being a four-wicket haul against South Africa. Her figures of 4-11 derailed the South Africa batting line up, bowling them out for 63, their second lowest total in ODIs. This also helped Pakistan register their biggest victory in ODIs, in terms of balls remaining.
Mir was not just a consistent bowler for Pakistan, but also quite handy with the bat, scoring 1630 ODI runs and including three half-centuries, including a half century that she hit in her 100th ODI match, joining an esteemed list of women who have hit 1000 runs and taken 100 wickets in ODIs.
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