Pakistan's first female anchor, Marina Iqbal slams male reporter for wrongful accusation

Even though women have made huge inroads in cricket, there is still a deep chasm between how men and women are perceived in the sport. Far from being on an equal footing, it is extremely rare for women to find a place in commentary teams or on-field presentation teams, especially in the sub-continent.

Also Read | Pakistan Cricket Board Project Faith In Producing Financial Model Not Reliant On India

Women in cricket panels

It is only in recent years that organizers have made an effort to have at least one female member in the commentary box and as a part of the mid-match presentation team. In India, the first to break this ceiling was probably Mandira Bedi in 2003. Bedi's entry into cricket was the subject of much controversy, with even leading media outlets labelling her presence unnecessary and unneeded. Most took issue with the way she dressed, lamenting the fall of cricket from something serious to a mere spectacle.

This treatment of women has been rectified to a major degree in recent times. With the addition of Mayanti Langer, Isa Guha, Seema Jaswal, Sanjana Ganesan, Priyadarshini Chatterjee, Bhavana Balakrishnan and Vindhya Medapati to their roster of commentators and presenters, cricketing bodies have finally given women a voice in cricket. However, this still hasn't made them exempt from comments on their attire. 

Also Read | Sunil Gavaskar Slams Indian Media For Blatant Use Of Term 'Mankading' For Ashwin Dismissal

Commentator Marina Iqbal hits back at reporter's unfounded claim

The revolution to give women a voice in cricket has just begun in Pakistan. Pakistan's first female commentator, Marina Iqbal, an ex-Pakistan team cricket player was on the receiving end of some sexist comments by a fellow commentator a few days ago. Qadir Khawaja, who is a sports reporter/anchor of NEO News, took to Twitter to question the legality of Marina Iqbal's decision to wear heels on the ground. He shared a photo of Marina in heels during a pre-match interview and wrote: "Is it legal to walk on the pitch wearing heeled shoes ??? Feedback needed" 

 Marina Iqbal was quick to hit back, sharing another photo of herself wearing flats while she was on the ground. 

Khawaja replied, writing: "Only the opinion was taken but some people have taken it to heart .... thank you, Marina, you have clarified the matter .. by the way, your flat shows were not visible in the picture which caused misunderstanding." However, the tone of his initial tweet reveals that the question may not have been as innocent as he claims. Also notable is the fact that Khawaja has never played professional cricket. 

Marina Iqbal made her debut for the Pakistan cricket team in 2009. In her career, she featured in 36 ODIs and 42 T20Is, scoring 436 and 340 runs in the two formats respectively. She played her final game against New Zealand in 2017.

Also Read | Ex-Pakistan Pacer Claims Clocking 100-115 Mph Often In 60s, Shoaib Akhtar Not The Fastest

Also Read | Shoaib Akhtar, Fans Left In Splits After Brett Lee Makes Fun Of Him In Old Video: Watch

Image Credits: Qadir Khawaja Twitter