KARACHI: In the conservative Khyber Pakhtunkhawa province of Pakistan, young women are expected to settle down to married life and raise a family. Sana Mir, captain of the Pakistan women’s cricket team that won a gold medal at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, had other ideas.
“I belong to Abbotabad where girls are not encouraged to take up sports leave alone cricket but my family was supportive and made it possible for me to play cricket and study as well,” Mir told Reuters after a triumphant return home on Sunday.
“I hope our victory will serve as a catalyst for women’s sports in Pakistan.” The women’s team, wearing their green team blazers, were garlanded and showered with rose petals in a rousing welcome at Karachi airport after winning the gold medal in a one-sided final against Bangladesh on Saturday.
“This welcome is like icing on the cake after our victory,” Mir said. Pakistani media greeted the gold medal as a victory for women in the country. “Looking for positive faces to show the world, Pakistan need go no further than its sportswomen,” the Dawn English daily newspaper said in an editorial.
