Lahore: For the first time in the history of cricket any enclosure of a cricket stadium will be named after women cricketers. Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to name the enclosures of Bugti Cricket Stadium after former Pakistan Women’s Team all-rounder Sana Mir (Sana Mir Enclosure) and former star batter Kiran Baluch. According to the announcement made by PCB, star all-rounder Shahid Afridi, most successful Test leader Misbah-Ul-Haq, spinning wizard Saeed Ajmal, and leading Test batter Yonis Khan, are among the cricketers after whom the enclosures of Bugti Stadium will be named.
Chairman PCB Najam Sethi said that by naming the enclosures after star cricketers the cricket board is recognising the contribution made by the players for Pakistan cricket. He added that the decision would help promote cricket in Balochistan and tell the world about the stars of Pakistan. Najam Sethi further said that PCB wants to empower women’s cricket and bring girls towards the game which is why the board would name enclosures after Kiran Baluch & Sana Mir.
HBL PSL 8 Schedule announced; Multan to host opening ceremony
Former captain of Pakistan women’s team Sana Mir thanked PCB and highlighted the need for more young female cricketers. Similarly, former captain of Pakistan men’s team and star all-rounder Shahid Khan Afridi thanked PCB and said that the next generation of cricketers in Quetta will be motivated while playing in the Bugti Stadium.
The complete list of cricketers who got the honour to have an enclosure by their name is:
- Misbah-ul-Haq – Captained Pakistan in 56 Tests and won 26, more than any other Pakistan Test captain. Under his leadership, Pakistan became the number-one team in the ICC Test Championship in 2016.
- Mohammad Yousuf – Holds the record for most Test runs in a calendar year (1,788 runs in 11 Tests with nine centuries).
- Saeed Ajmal – Took 447 wickets in 212 international matches. Saeed helped Pakistan lift the T20 World Cup in 2009.
- Sana Mir – Became number-one ODI Bowler in the ICC Women’s Rankings. She was also the captain of Wisden’s Women’s Team of the Decade and served as a member of the ICC Women’s Committee.
- Saqlain Mushtaq – He introduced the world to doosra and took 496 international wickets.
- Shahid Afridi – Held the record of fastest ODI century for over a decade. He anchored Pakistan to lift the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2009.
- Shoaib Khan – He is the only male cricketer from Balochistan to represent Pakistan in four T20Is. He scored over 4,000 runs in his domestic cricket career.
- Shoaib Malik – Made 11,867 runs and took 218 wickets in his international career. He was an important member during the ICC T20 Worldcup 2009 victory.
- Younis Khan – Has the most Test runs (10,099) and Test centuries (34) for Pakistan. He captained Pakistan to their first world title in 17 years by winning the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2009.
- Kiran Baluch – She represented Pakistan from 1997 to 2004. Her 242 against the West Indies women in 2004 at the National Stadium is still an unbeatable record.
