Nida Dar takes indefinite break from cricket

Nida Dar, one of Pakistan's greatest women's cricketers, is taking an extended break from the game citing personal reasons to protect her mental health. Dar, who has not played since October last year, issued a statement on X, announcing the decision, without specifying how long she would be unavailable for.

"I would like to inform that a lot of things have happened in the past with me personally and professionally and this has affected my mental health," Dar said. "For this reason I am taking a break for a while from cricket to focus on myself."

Pakistan's next assignment is a T20I series in Ireland in August, with the ODI women's World Cup starting in September. They secured qualification for the World Cup earlier this month, winning all five games in the qualifiers, which they hosted. Dar was not selected for the event.

ESPNcricinfo understands the current set-up within the women's management hierarchy do not consider Dar, 38, a part of their immediate plans. She was unlikely to have been selected for either the tour to Ireland or the World Cup that followed, with the team looking towards the future. The management is also understood to lost faith in her fitness, especially in the ODI format, with ESPNcricinfo learning she did not pass a fitness test earlier this year.

Dar's form has been under scrutiny for much of the past couple of years, particularly with the bat. Long considered one of Pakistan's best big hitters, her ability to take the bowlers on has waned significantly, as has her consistency of scoring. In her last 24 T20I innings, she has not crossed 30 once, averaging under 17 with her strike rate dropping a touch below 100. Her bowling average and economy rate, meanwhile, has also ticked upwards in both formats since 2023.

The decision, which is understood to have been made public without informing the PCB beforehand, is not officially a retirement, even if when she plays next remains unclear. Either way, her legacy as Pakistan women's greatest allrounder is firmly secure. Having made her debut in 2010, Dar has been a mainstay of the Pakistan team, captaining the side in 24 WT20Is and 13 WODIs.

She is the highest wicket-taker in Pakistan women's T20I history (144), second globally just behind Megan Schutt (151). She is also Pakistan's second-highest ODI wicket-taker with 108 strikes, behind only Sana Mir. The runs charts also see her close to the top of the table, with her 2091 second only behind Bismah Maroof in WT20Is for women, and fourth in the Pakistan women's ODI list with 1690.