Sana Mir criticized for Azad Kashmir remark in World Cup commentary

Former Pakistan captain and commentator Sana Mir drew widespread criticism after referring to a Pakistan player’s hometown as "Azad Kashmir" during live commentary of the Women’s Cricket World Cup match between Pakistan and Bangladesh in Colombo on Thursday. The remark prompted an online backlash and a public clarification from Mir, who said she intended to highlight the player’s background and not to politicize the broadcast.

On air, Mir described medium-pacer Natalia Pervaiz as coming "from Kashmir, Azad Kashmir," and noted that the player had done much of her cricket in Lahore. Natalia Pervaiz is from Bandala in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The reference quickly circulated on social media, where some fans accused Mir of introducing a politically sensitive term into an international cricket broadcast and urged governing bodies to take action.

Mir responded later the same day on social media, saying the comment was meant to illustrate the challenges Pervaiz had overcome and was part of routine player storytelling used by commentators. "My comment about a Pakistan player's hometown was only meant to highlight the challenges she faced of coming from a certain region in Pakistan...