Sadia Iqbal

International career

Sadia Iqbal, born on August 5, 1995, is a Pakistani cricketer who plays as a slow left-arm orthodox bowler. She has made her mark in international cricket through consistent performances in both One Day Internationals (WODI) and Twenty20 Internationals (WT20I).

Here is a year-by-year summary of her international career:

2019

• October 26: Sadia debuted in WT20I for Pakistan against Bangladesh in Lahore.
• November 2: She made her WODI debut for Pakistan against Bangladesh in Lahore.

2020

• January: Sadia joined Pakistan's squad for the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia.

2021

• October: She was part of Pakistan's team for the 2021 Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe.
• West Indies Tour: In the fourth ODI in Antigua, Sadia took 2 wickets. She took another 2 wickets in the fifth ODI and strengthened her position as a key player.
• Series against South Africa: Sadia took 3 wickets in the second ODI in Karachi and won Player of the Match.
• In 2021, she played 9 WODI matches, scoring 6 points in 4 of her performances.

2022

• May: Sadia was named in Pakistan’s squad for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.

2023

• November: Sadia was nominated for the ICC Women's Player of the Month award.
• She was also selected for Pakistan's 2023 Women's T20 World Cup squad.

2024

• December 18: She played her last ODI match against New Zealand.
• ICC Women's T20 World Cup: Sadia was in Pakistan's squad.
• In the 2024 T20 World Cup, Sadia took 28 wickets in 17 matches, setting a record for the most wickets taken by any Pakistani player in a single calendar year.
• At the end of 2024, she was named to the ICC Women's T20I Team of the Year, with 30 wickets in 19 matches.

2025

• April 5: A match against Thailand Women is scheduled as part of the preparation for the ICC Women's World Cup qualification.

Leagues Participation

Currently, Sadia Iqbal does not participate in any leagues.

Domestic career

Sadia Iqbal is from a small town in Punjab, Pakistan. She is a left-arm orthodox bowler who plays professional cricket for Pakistan. Inspired by Sadia Yousuf, a Pakistani spinner with more than 130 international wickets, Sadia decided to pursue cricket.

Her T20 career began in the 2013/14 PCB National Under-19 Women’s Championship, where she played for Faisalabad U-19s Women. In her first match against Quetta, she bowled 4 overs, allowing only 11 runs, but she did not take any wickets.

Sadia started her List A career in 2014 in the Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah Women Cricket Championship Seniors. In her debut match, she played alongside her idol, Sadia Yousuf. Yousuf took 3 wickets for 8 runs, and Sadia took the same number of wickets, giving away 9 runs.

Sadia has also played for several domestic teams, including Faisalabad Women (2014-2017), Higher Education Commission Women (2015), Pakistan Cricket Board Women’s XI (2017), PCB Dynamites (2017-2018), and PCB Blasters (2018-2019). Her time with these teams has helped her develop skills and form connections with current members of the Pakistan national team.

Records and achievements

Sadia Iqbal has reached several milestones and earned many awards in her cricket career.

• 2023: Nominated for the ICC Women's Player of the Month award in November.
• 2024: Became the top wicket-taker at the World Cup, with 28 wickets in 17 matches. This was the highest number of wickets by a Pakistani player in a single year.
• 2024: Topped the ICC bowling rankings and became only the second player from Pakistan to reach this rank.
• 2024: Named in the ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year after taking 30 wickets in 19 matches with an average of 14.30.
• Asian Cup: Took 4/16 against Sri Lanka in the semi-final.

Personal life

Sadia Iqbal keeps most details of her personal life private.

Family

There is no information available about Sadia Iqbal’s family, including her parents, siblings, or any other relatives. She is also not married.

Finance

Sadia Iqbal is a talented cricketer with an estimated net worth ranging from $1 million to $5 million.

Scandals

Sadia made history in 2024 by becoming the first Pakistani player to reach the top spot in the ICC Women's T20I Bowler rankings. This achievement followed her impressive performance against Sri Lanka, where she took three wickets for 17 runs. However, her stay at the top was brief, as Sophie Ecclestone of England took over the ranking within two days after her performance against South Africa, where she claimed two wickets for 15 runs and was named the Best Player of the Match. This competition highlights the intense rivalry among top female bowlers.

Fans

Sadia has a fan following of 35k on Instagram, where she engages with her supporters.