The sisterhood of PSL: How women are changing the game for good

KARACHI:

"If you know so much about football, name five players apart from Ronaldo and Messi?" I must have lost count of the number of times my sister, who has been an avid football fan since she was in her early teens, was poked by this question from her male friends, cousins, or peers. She would usually leave them stunned by answering it in excruciating detail. She would then be presented with another query, followed by one more about the game she knew all too well. "Okay, what's the off-side rule," they'd continue. The quiz never stopped.

Being passionate and obsessive about a sport is still considered a masculine trait in our society, we are yet to evolve from a mindset that sees men as warriors and women who are only there to balm their bruises when they return home. But there's a seismic shift happening right in front of us that too under the floodlights, the women of Pakistan Super League are not only changing the game for good but also forming a sisterhood so full of energy that you could vibe with them while sitting in your TV lounge.

Making it big

"You know, you have to have a thick skin," Hijab Zahid, General Manager Multan Sultans, the first-ever woman to take on the role for any PSL team, tells The Express Tribune over the phone. "For us women, it's difficult to make a name in any field, not just in cricket." Hijab's journey into the cricketing world has been fueled by sheer willpower, ambition, and a brilliant support system. She started her PSL journey in 2021, which concluded with her grabbing the runner-up position in a commentator competition. "We all have always looked up to the likes of Zainab Abbas, and Urooj Mumtaz Khan and how they have been doing for the last few years," she says. "So, the idea was to get into the broadcasting like them and represent Pakistan globally. That is still the dream!"

Hijab, an electrical engineer by education, broadened her scope by acquiring a degree in project management from London. "I never really thought I'd be a part of this industry," she asserts. "As a Pakistani, the love for the game was always 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'd accompany him everywhere! Wherever there was cricket, we were there."

Hijab continued, "I started as a director in January 2023 for Grassroot Cricket, another project by 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 hopes to make some changes in the team and take initiative. That was when he offered me the job as the general manager for Multan Sultans." There was a five-second silence”, Hijab says, while she tried to digest the offer being offered.

"I thought he was kidding! I told him I wasn't sure if I could do it, but he reassured me I was the person for the job. I told him I was young, I hadn't done anything of such a magnitude," she recalls. Ali, she remarks, said he was certain she was the right person for the job. "He said, 'a lot of people start from scratch', and my product management degree would come in handy."

On the field

For former women's team captain, Urooj Mumtaz Khan, the love for the game began at a very young age on her weekly runs at Karachi Gymkhana. "There was an under-13 boys cricket that used to be played every Saturday at that time," she recalls. "So, one time I went there to play, and was asked to leave because 'why would a girl play with boys?' My father used to play in the veterans team and he saw the whole incident. He went up to the authorities and asked them to show the writing that says that girls can't play in the boy's team." There was, of course, no rule that signed it off, and Urooj became a part of the UNDER-13 team at Gymkhana.

"I didn't care that I couldn't ball or bat, you know," she says. "They could make me field all day for all I care! I was just happy to be a part of that team." In 2004, however, she went on to become the captain of the Under-17 boys team at the same place. Urooj, a dentistry degree holder, faced issues when her passion for cricket coincided with her studies being affected.

"When I was heading the Asia Cup final for the women's team, the schedule collided with my final exams at my college. I was asked to bring my parents to my college. My father told my professor that if they don't allow me to play the match, he won't allow me to sit in exams! I think that was the kind of confidence I had been looking for. From there onwards, I never looked back. I kept going and ended up making a name for myself." Urooj went on to captain the Women's Pakistani cricket team from 2005 to 2009.

About time

"It takes time, I think," Erin Holland, the Australian sports presenter who's been a constant feature in PSL, previously opened up in a conversation with The Express Tribune. "But I am not just limiting this comment to women trying to make it big in sports. This, I think, goes for any profession. It's important to realise that it takes time. In my country, women have been working their way in and it is so refreshing to see Pakistan is giving more opportunities to women in sports. PSL is making way for women in cricket, which we should applaud."

She hopes one day, a young girl sees her or Zainab or Urooj or Sana Mir and gets inspired. "I hope these young women look at us and see themselves in us. We're all one people and we are all here to play this sport we love so much."

The misogyny reeks in

Zainab, like her counterparts, has frequently talked about breaking barriers. The television host candidly opened up 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 sporting world would be the torch-bearer of sportsmanship, free of racism, free of prejudices - but I was quite wrong," she asserted back then, reflecting on the opportunity she received from a leading news channel.

"A man was sitting with a smirk on his face, and he asked me condescendingly, 'Reverse swing kya hoti hai?' I had a smile on my face as I knew what he was asking about. I answered politely. He was half impressed so to speak and he decided in those five minutes that he would give me a shot. That's how my journey started," she said.

Strong support system

Unlike Zainab, who has now solidified her name in the game, this is the first year for Hijab as the general manager for MS. In her maiden run, she's managed to surround herself with a solid team. "A lot of the boost comes from building the right environment. I made sure to surround myself with the team I could trust and count on," she says.

For Urooj, she found her core support system within her family and later, in her sisters at the PSL ground. "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 while now, and she's made such a name for herself. She's the face and voice of PSL. We are really like-minded, we've shared a similar journey and have a strong bond. We know we have each other's back."

The duo, as per Urooj, has earned the title of double trouble! "There's always mutual respect," she says. "No one is ever trying to pull each other down, there's always space for everyone. We have always been very secure in our position, and we know if need be, we'd always be there for each other. Our off-screen banter, I am sure, is rather visible when we're live as well!"

However, Hijab firmly believes as a woman it's not an easy task to make it big in any industry, let alone one with men at the top. "As a Pakistani woman, being in power doesn't come without its set of challenges," she says adding how a man's word would always hold more weight than his female counterpart.

"That's just the kind of society we live in," Hijab continued, "That's something that needs to change and I am hoping the tide has started turning. People should start looking at the person's abilities, credentials and can-do attitude, rather than their gender."

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