Aiman Anwer’s story is the exact opposite of her national teammate, Nida Dar’s. While Dar was always into cricket, her brother was against it. Anwer’s case is different. It was, in fact, her brother, who always used to encourage her to play any kind of sports. Anwer started playing cricket at a very young age but never paid much attention to the game.
However, she had always been a top performer for her local sides. But when she got promoted to class 6, Anwer herself decided to stop playing cricket. Her focus had always been on studies, and hence cricket never actually was on her priority list. As luck would have it, her father was a friend of a former cricketer, and he encouraged him to send her daughter to trails.
Anwer found herself back in cricket again after a gap of six years, but this time in a completely professional set up. She was still not very engrossed in the game, but as they gradually gained popularity for her brilliance with her ball, her career started shaping up around the 22 yards.
Early Life & Major Teams
Anwer was born on 14 September 1991 in Karachi, Sind. She has played for her local side Karachi Under-19s Women. She has also represented Sindh Women, PCB Blasters,Saif Sports Saga Women, PCB Challengers, Karachi Women, Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited Women and PCB Hawks.
Domestic Career
The big fan of Imran Khan is also a huge fan of T20 cricket. She made her T20 debut at the PCB National Under-19 Women’s Championship 2010/11. Playing for Karachi U-19s Women, she picked up 3 crucial wickets and conceded only 8 runs in 3.5 overs. The wickets were of Rabia Liaqat, Saima Maqsood and Umm-e-Kaisoom.
She also played in the Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah Women Cricket Championship Seniors 2014 for Karachi Women. In the first match against Rawalpindi Women, she bowled 3 overs and picked up the wicket of Azhra Farooq.
International Career
Anwer made her international debut in July of 2016. In the match against England Women at Southampton, she bowled 3 overs and conceded 24 runs. She also took the wicket of Tammy Beaumont. Her ODI debut came a few years later against Bangladesh at Colombo. She bowled 7 overs in which she conceded only 21 runs, and took the wicket of Sharmin Akhter.
She got a taste of an ICC event during the 2018 ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in West Indies. Pakistan would be hoping that Anwer will be at his very best in the upcoming ICC Women’s World T20 2020.
Stats & Figures
In the 7 ODIs she has featured in, Anwer has picked up 4 wickets. Her economy rate of under 4 runs per over is the most impressive bit. She also has a brilliant economy rate of under 7 runs per over in T20Is. In 16 T20I appearances, she has picked up 14 wickets.
Anwer also has scored 40 runs in international cricket. Though she doesn’t have any 3-wicket haul in any format of the international game, she reckons her brilliant spell against New Zealand in which she took 1 wicket in 6 overs and conceded only 13 runs, as her best ever performance.
