'I can’t be more proud of what she has achieved' - Pakistan all-rounder Kainat Imtiaz gives heartfelt tribute to mother Saleema

Pakistan all-rounder Kainat Imtiaz has given a touching tribute to her mother Saleema who made her umpiring debut in the ongoing  Women's Asia Cup 2022. She officiated a contest between the six-time champions India and Sri Lanka last weekend. 

Apart from officiating in the India-Sri Lanka match, Saleema Imtiaz was the third umpire in the Sri Lanka-UAE encounter and is currently officiating as one of the on-field umpires in the Sri Lanka andThailand fixture. It would be interesting to see if Saleema gets an opportunity of umpiring in Pakistan's next game where the mother-daughter duo will be seen in on-field action.

Presenting my MOM as an UMPIRE for Women’s Asia Cup’22. I can’t be more proud of what she has achieved. It was always a dream of her to represent Pakistan,the dream I had been living for her.& now after a very long wait she is going to represent Pakistan 😍 super excited.🤩 pic.twitter.com/kNvjvSmPAr

— Kainat Imtiaz (@kainatimtiaz16) October 1, 2022

Who is Saleema Imtiaz?

Even though this is Saleema Imtiaz's maiden stint in international umpiring, she has a vast experience in officiating matches as she has umpired at the domestic level for over a decade. Her years of hardwork, passion and determination finally bore fruits when the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) decided to open up a new door of opportunities by appointing a set of female umpires for the ongoing Women's Asia Cup 2022. 

Saleema's umpiring journey began way back in 2006 after she completed a course in the field conducted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). It is to be noted that Saleema has also played the game as well. While she could not represent Pakistan in international cricket, Saleema did play domestic cricket for a couple of years. 

Apart from umpiring, Saleema also has an additional job as she works as a sports coordinator at Nixor College in Karachi. 

Meanwhile, Pakistan have been on a roll in the ongoing Women's Asia Cup 2022, having registered nine-wicket victories over Malyasia and the defending champions Bangladesh.