How women are changing the game for good

KARACHI:

“If you know so much about football, name five players besides Ronaldo and Messi?” I must have lost count of the number of times my sister, who has been an avid soccer fan since her early teens, has been asked this question by her male friends, cousins, or peers. He usually left them stunned by answering it in incredible detail. He would then ask her another question, followed by one more about the game he knew so well. “Okay, what’s the offside rule,” they continued. The quiz never stopped.

Being passionate and obsessed with a sport is still considered a masculine trait in our society, we have yet to evolve from a mindset that sees men as warriors and women only there to soothe their bruises when they get home. But there is a seismic shift happening right in front of us, that too under the spotlight, the women of the Pakistan Super League are not only changing the game for good, but creating a sisterhood so full of energy that you could vibrate with them while sitting in the your own TV Lounge.

Making it big

“You know, you have to have a thick skin,” Hijab Zahid, General Manager of Multan Sultans, the first woman to hold the role for any PSL team, tells The Express Tribune over the phone. “For us women, it’s difficult to make a name for ourselves in any field, not just cricket.” Hijab’s journey into the world of cricket was fueled by sheer willpower, ambition and a brilliant support system. She started her journey to the PSL in 2021, which ended with her finishing second in a commentator competition. “All of us have always looked up to people like Zainab Abbas and Urooj Mumtaz Khan and how they have been doing in recent years,” he says. “Well, the idea was to get on TV like them and represent Pakistan globally. That’s still the dream!”

Hijab, an electrical engineer by training, broadened her scope by obtaining a degree in project management from London. “I never thought I would be a part of this industry,” he claims. “As a Pakistani, the love for the game has always been there, you know. We are passionate about cricket and we know it. I started watching it religiously with my dad when I was six or seven. I would accompany him everywhere! there was cricket, we were there” .

Hijab continued, “I started as a director in January 2023 for Grassroot Cricket, another project of Multan Sultans owner Ali Tareen Khan. A small team would run this platform and Ali wanted me to take over Grassroot Cricket. We did a complete overhaul of the platform and a few months later, Ali took over as the owner of Multan Sultans. He explained how he hoped to make some changes to the team and take initiatives. That’s when he offered me the job as general manager for Multan Sultans.” There was a five-second silence,” says Hijab, as she tried to digest the offer she was offered.

“I thought he was joking! I told him I wasn’t sure if I could do it, but he assured me I was the man for the job. I told him I was young, I hadn’t done anything of this magnitude,” she recalls. Ali, observes, he said he was confident he was the right person for the job. “He said, ‘a lot of people are starting from scratch,’ and my degree in product management would come in handy.”

On the field

For former women’s team captain Urooj Mumtaz Khan, the love for the game started at a very young age on her weekly runs to the Karachi Gymkhana. “There was an under-13 boys’ cricket that was played every Saturday at that time,” he recalls. “Well, one time I went there to play and was asked to leave because ‘why would a girl play with boys?’ which says girls can’t play in the boys’ team.”There was, of course, no rule he signed off on and Urooj joined the UNDER-13 team at the Gymkhana.

“I didn’t care that I couldn’t putt a ball or a bat, you know,” he says. “They could have me out on the field all day for all I care! I was just happy to be a part of that team.” In 2004, however, he captained the under-17 boys team at the same venue. Urooj, a dental degree holder, faced problems when her passion for cricket coincided with her studies which got affected.

“When I was going to the Asian Cup final for the women’s team, the schedule clashed with my final exams at my college. I was asked to bring my parents to my college. My father told my teacher that if they don’t allow me to play match, he won’t allow me to go to the exam! I think that was the kind of confidence I was looking for. From then on, I never looked back. I kept going and ended up making a name for myself.” Urooj went on to captain the women’s cricket team of Pakistan from 2005 to 2009.

a matter of time

“It needs time, I think,” Erin Holland, the Australian sportscaster who has been a regular feature in the PSL, earlier said in a chat with The Express Tribune. “But I’m not just limiting this comment to women trying to make it in sports. This, I think, applies to any profession. It’s important to realize that it takes time. In my country, women have made their way and It’s so refreshing to see Pakistan giving more opportunities to women in sports. PSL is opening space for women in cricket, which should be applauded.”

She hopes that one day, a young lady will see her or Zainab or Uruj or Sana Mir and be inspired. “I hope these young women look at us and see themselves in us. We are all one people and we are all here to play this sport that we love so much.”

It reeks of misogyny

Zainab, like her counterparts, has often spoken about breaking down barriers. The TV presenter spoke frankly about the prejudices she encountered as a woman with a passion for sports. In a 2020 TEDx talk, she shared how many cricketers would refuse to let her interview them. “I thought the sports world would be the beacon of sportsmanship, free of racism, free of prejudice – but I was very wrong,” he argued at the time, reflecting on the opportunity he received from a leading news channel.

“A man was sitting with a smile on his face and condescendingly asked me, ‘Back swing kya hoti hai?’ I had a smile on my face as I knew what he was asking. I replied politely. He was half impressed to say the least and decided in those five minutes that he would give me a chance. That’s how my journey started,” he said. he said.

Strong support system

Unlike Zainab, who has now established her name in the game, this is Hijab’s first year as managing director for MS. In her maiden run, she managed to surround herself with a solid team. “A lot of the drive comes from creating the right environment. I made sure to surround myself with the team I could trust and rely on,” he says.

For Urooj, she found her core support system in her family and later, her sisters on the PSL field. “My husband and father have always been very supportive when it came to pursuing my career,” she comments. “But I think we have a very solid unit on the ground as well.” Urooj continues, “Zainab and I have been working together for a long time, and she has made such a name for herself. She is the face and voice of PSL. We are truly like-minded, have shared a similar journey and have a strong bond. We know we have each other’s backs.”

The duo, according to Urooj, have earned the title of double trouble! “There’s always mutual respect,” he says. “No one ever tries to pull each other, there’s always room for everyone. We’ve always been very secure in our place and know that if needed, we’d always be there for each other. Our off-screen banter I’m sure is probably visible even when we’re live!”

However, Hijab strongly believes that as a woman, it is not easy to make it in any industry, let alone one dominated by men. “As a Pakistani woman, being in power does not come without its set of challenges,” she says, adding that a man’s word would always carry more weight than his female counterpart.

“This is just the kind of society we live in,” Hijab continued, “this is something that needs to change and I hope the tide is beginning to change. their gender”.

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