CRICKET: THE FORGOTTEN HEROINE
Sana Mir and Bismah Maroof are well-known names today: the inspirational captain and vice-captain of the Pakistan women’s cricket team. Such has been their rise that it is easy to forget that once upon a time, the extent of women’s cricket in Pakistan was a couple of girls featuring in the boys’ Gymkhana team.
But turn the clock back a few years, and you’d discover that the brightest light in Pakistan women’s cricket was another name: Kiran Baluch.
A precocious talent who hailed from a sporting family, Kiran valiantly wrote her country’s name in the international record books when she scored 242 in a Test match innings. That record still stands. And although she was a class apart from her peers, perhaps she was too far ahead of her times.
A trailblazer and world record-holder to boot, Kiran Baluch was destined to do big things for Pakistan. But suddenly, she vanished from the playing scene and her legacy became history too
“I have always been interested in the game,” says Kiran. “I also played other sports but cricket had a special place in my heart. My passion for the game was my inspiration.”
Kiran’s father had represented the Pakistan Television and Pakistan International Airlines teams in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy. As a result, not only did Kiran pick the bat up at a very young age, she was trained in cricket at home. These were the times when a woman playing professional sport in Pakistan was almost unheard of.
Amid the desolation, two sisters named Shaiza and Sharmeen Khan launched the Pakistan Women’s Cricket Control Association (PWCCA) in 1996. And while they searched for players who could bat and bowl, they were met with very stiff resistance from both the government of the time as well as conservative elements in society. Both Shaiza and Sharmeen were dragged in court over fictitious charges; both sisters even braved death threats.
It was around that time that Kiran was discovered by Shaiza Khan at open trials held to select the national team back in October 1996. And with an international tour imminent, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
“My first international tour was to New Zealand and Australia in January, 1997,” recalls Kiran. “Australia and New Zealand were the top teams in women’s cricket back then. I saw their domestic set-up, the latest trends in training and met with some veterans of the game. It was great exposure for my cricketing knowledge.”
Kiran made her ODI debut on January 28, 1997 at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. That match was memorable because Pakistan was fielding 11 debutants on the day. The Pakistan team batted first but were bundled out for 56; Kiran scored 19 of those runs while her mentor, Shaiza Khan, scored 11. Apart from the duo, no other batswoman made it into double figures. Pakistan lost the match by 10 wickets.
Her Test debut arrived the next year in Colombo, playing against Sri Lanka at the Colts Cricket Club Ground. The match was a one-off and Pakistan were once again fielding 11 debutants. Kiran scored 76 batting at number six in the first innings but got out for a measly eight in the second.
But it wasn’t till 2004 that Kiran became a legend in her own right.
West Indies Women had arrived for a one-off Test in Karachi, to be played between March 15-18. This time, Pakistan were fielding only five debutants but Kiran had been moved up the order to open the innings. Nobody could have foreseen what was coming next.
Pakistan batted first. Kiran walked out with young opener Sajida Shah, and together the duo pummeled the West Indies into the ground. Their partnership lasted 241 runs, with Sajida falling two runs short of what would have been her maiden century. But by then, the duo had broken the record for the highest opening stand in women’s Tests.
At the end of the first day’s play, the Pakistani women were 242 runs for the loss of only one wicket. The Pakistan team might have dominated the opening day, but it was a nerve-wracking affair for Kiran because she was 138 not out overnight. In the evening, the entire team checked the record books. They discovered that India’s Mithali Raj held the record for highest scorer, with 214 runs. Almost all her colleagues told Kiran that she could beat the record.
The next morning, she sustained the pressure and batted for another two sessions. With a flick to square leg for a single, Kiran set a new world record for the highest runs scored in a single innings. She stayed at the crease for 584 minutes, faced 488 balls and hit 38 fours in an innings that spanned five sessions.
“Holding a world record is a feeling one cannot describe. My breaking the earlier record of 214 runs and ending up at 242 was only possible due to the help support and encouragement of my captain and mentor Shaiza Khan,” she says.
A precocious talent who hailed from a sporting family, Kiran valiantly wrote her country’s name in the international record books when she scored 242 in a Test match innings. That record still stands. And although she was a class apart from her peers, perhaps she was too far ahead of her times.
“I feel humbled that the Almighty bestowed the highest achievement a batswoman could ever dream of on me. It’s a feeling of content that at last I am able to hold my country’s name on top of the Wisden world records lists.”