Diana Baig (born 15 October 1995) is a Pakistani

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

er and former

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

. In cricket, she plays primarily as a right-arm medium-fast bowler. Baig was included in the Pakistan squad for the

2013 Women's Cricket World Cup The 2013 Women's Cricket World Cup was the tenth Women's Cricket World Cup, hosted by India for the third time, and held from 31 January to 17 February 2013. India previously hosted the World Cup in 1978 and 1997. Australia won the tournament fo ...

and

2016 ICC Women's World Twenty20 The 2016 Women's World Twenty20 was the fifth edition of the Women's T20 World Cup, Women's World Twenty20, the world championship of women's Twenty20 International cricket. India hosted the event for the first time, with matches played from 1 ...

Early life and education

Diana Baig was born in Hunza,

Gilgit Baltistan Gilgit (; Shina: ; ) is a city in Pakistani-administered Gilgit–Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the ...

. Her interest in sports started with street cricket and football. Learned and enthusiastic, she moved to

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

, for her intermediate and undergraduate studies. She opted for

Lahore College for Women University The Lahore College for Women University (LCWU) () is a public university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded in 1922 with a capacity of 60 students, it now has a full-time enrollment of about 15,000 students and admits students at Intermediate, ...

, where her endeavors were rewarded by the

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

. Her multi-talented sporting side has helped her represent her country at international level in both football and cricket. She is fluent in English,

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

and

Burushaski Burushaski (; , ) is a language isolate, spoken by the Burusho people, who predominantly reside in northern Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. There are also a few hundred speakers of this language in northern Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu ...

Career

Football

Baig began in football by chance. She was selected for the domestic football team when there was a shortage of players.

Cricket

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. Her bowling and fielding performance in the ODI against

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

2017 Women's Cricket World Cup The 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup was an international women's cricket tournament that took place in England from 24 June to 23 July 2017. It was the eleventh edition of the Women's Cricket World Cup, and the third to be held in England (after ...

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. In October 2018, she was named in Pakistan's squad for the

2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20 The 2018 Women's World Twenty20 was the sixth edition of the Women's World Twenty20, hosted in the West Indies from 9 to 24 November 2018. It the second World Twenty20 hosted by the West Indies (after the 2010 edition), and the West Indies wer ...

tournament in the West Indies. In January 2020, she was named in Pakistan's squad for the

2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup The 2020 Women's T20 World Cup was the seventh Women's T20 World Cup tournament. It was held in Australia between 21 February and 8 March 2020. The 2020 Women's T20 World Cup final, final took place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Internati ...

in Australia. In October 2021, she was named in Pakistan's team for the

2021 Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier The 2021 Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier was an international women's cricket tournament that was held in Zimbabwe in November and December 2021. The tournament was the final part of the qualification process for the 2022 Women's Cricket Worl ...

tournament in Zimbabwe. In January 2022, she was named in Pakistan's team for the

2022 Women's Cricket World Cup The 2022 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup was the twelfth edition of the Women's Cricket World Cup, which was held in New Zealand in March and April 2022. It was originally scheduled for 6 February to 7 March 2021 but was postponed by one year due ...

in New Zealand. In May 2022, she was named in Pakistan's team for the cricket tournament at the

2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England betw ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, England. She was named in the Pakistan squad for the 2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup. Baig was part of the Pakistan squad for the 2025 Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier at home in April 2025.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baig, Diana 1995 births Living people People from Gilgit Pakistani women cricketers Pakistan women One Day International cricketers Pakistan women Twenty20 International cricketers Islamabad women cricketers Federal Capital women cricketers Saif Sports Saga women cricketers Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited women cricketers Higher Education Commission women cricketers Pakistani women's footballers Pakistan women's international footballers Women's association football players not categorized by position Cricketers at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games competitors for Pakistan Cricketers at the 2022 Asian Games Asian Games competitors for Pakistan