Diana Baig
Diana Baig (born 15 October 1995) is a Pakistani women's cricketer.[1] Baig was included in Pakistan squad for the 2013 Women's Cricket World Cup and 2016 ICC Women's World Twenty20.[2][3] She also plays basketball, football and volleyball.[4]
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | Hunza, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan | 15 October 1995|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bowling | Right-arm medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ODI debut (cap 72) | 4 October 2015 v Bangladesh | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last ODI | 14 December 2019 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
T20I debut (cap 35) | 1 November 2015 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last T20I | 3 March 2020 v Thailand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 3 March 2020 |
Early life and education
Diana Baig was born in Hunza, Gilgit Baltistan. She belongs to the moderate sect of Ismailism. While growing up, she, like other females of her town, were encouraged by the progressive society around her. Her interest in sports started with street cricket and football.[5] Learned and enthusiastic, she moved to Lahore, for her intermediate and undergraduate studies. She opted for Lahore College for Women University, where her endeavors were rewarded by the college. Her multi-talented sporting side gives her the edge, as she can represent her country at international level for both, football and cricket. She is fluent in English, Urdu and Burushaski.
Career
Baig started her career in 2010, leading the Gilgit-Baltistan women's cricket team. She was selected for Pakistan's A team in 2012 and for the squad of the full national team in 2013.
She made her international cricket debut in 2015 against Bangladesh.[5]
Diana began in football by chance. She was selected for the Pakistan football team when there was a shortage of players.
Her bowling and fielding performance in the ODI against India in 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup was impressive and was praised by Ian Bishop, one of the commentators. She came into the team in place of Kainat Imtiaz, and she immediately made an impact by taking an important wicket, Smriti Mandhana with an inswinger. [6]
In October 2018, she was named in Pakistan's squad for the 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20 tournament in the West Indies.[7][8] In January 2020, she was named in Pakistan's squad for the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia.[9]
References
- Raheel, Natasha (22 November 2014). "Multitalented: They say football is a fulltime sport, but Diana Baigs to differ". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
- "Pak's Asian Games gold medals pave the way for growth of women's cricket".
- "From Gilgit to Cuttack: Diana Baig takes hopes of a cricket crazy nation to World Cup".
- "Diana Baig". Archived from the original on 2013-02-12. Retrieved 2013-02-01.
- AFP (2016-06-08). "Dual role: Diana Baig's life as Pakistan's cricket and football star". www.dawn.com. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
- "Diana Baig – double international, athlete supreme". 3 July 2017. Retrieved 3 Jul 2017.
- "Pakistan women name World T20 squad without captain". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
- "Squads confirmed for ICC Women's World T20 2018". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
- "Pakistan squad for ICC Women's T20 World Cup announced". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 20 January 2020.