Women's Premier League Auction 2023: Urooj Mumtaz rues missed opportunity for Pakistan women

Former Pakistan cricketer and current commentator Urooj Mumtaz has expressed her emotions on Pakistan women missing out from even getting to register for the inaugural Women's Premier League auction, which was conducted on February 13, 2023.

Urooj Mumtaz played for Karachi, Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited, Asia Women XI, and South Zone Women apart from playing for the national team. The right-handed batter played 54 List-A games in which she scored 784 runs and took 55 wickets. She featured for Pakistan from 2004-2010. The Karachi-born cricketer represented Pakistan in one Test, 38 ODIs, and nine T20Is. She also had the honour of captaining the women’s team. She scored 589 runs across all formats and scalped 44 wickets. She last played for Pakistan in 2010, thereby calling it curtains on her six-year long career.

'Every opportunity must be fair and inclusive' - Urooj Mumtaz laments lost opportunity for Pakistan women

"It is extremely unfortunate to see Pakistan players missing out," the 37-year-old told ESPNcricinfo. She clearly seemed very dissatisfied and flabbergasted at Pakistan women not being part of one of the most popular and about-to-be the biggest sporting events in the world.

Mumtaz claimed that such sporting leagues should make each and every opportunity easily accessible to every corner of the sporting world. Pakistan women missing out in the inaugural edition itself will definitely not help them to improve their game and get to know about international cricket from close quarters.

"Every opportunity must be fair and inclusive, and all opportunities are steps towards collectively raising the standard of the women's game and globally growing the sport. Most importantly, they bridge the gap in quality between cricketing nations."

If fortune was to dodge the Pakistani women further, the ladies were supposed to play in the inaugural edition of the PCB-owned T20 league, but even that idea was quashed, courtesy of the replacement of Ramiz Raja with Najam Sethi at the eleventh hour. The inaugural edition of the Women's Premier League is scheduled to be played from March 4 to March 26, 2023.

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