Kiran Baluch

Kiran Maqsood Baluch is a former Pakistani cricketer who competed as an all-rounder. She represented her country in 3 Test matches and 40 One Day Internationals.

Early life and education

Baluch was born on 23 February 1978. As the eldest child in her family, she began playing cricket during her childhood. Because her school lacked specific facilities for women to play cricket, she participated in basketball and badminton instead. Her father worked as a professional cricketer who competed in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. He played for teams such as Pakistan Television and Pakistan International Airlines. He taught her how to bowl, so she practiced regularly with him and her youngest brother.

Career

In October 1996, Shaiza Khan led the Pakistan Women's Cricket Control Association during a search for new players. Khan approached Baluch to join a team that planned to tour Australia and New Zealand. She did not play any competitive cricket until 1997. Her first major tournament was the Fatima Jinnah Trophy, which is an annual domestic competition in Pakistan. She later played domestic cricket for Karachi.

Baluch joined the national side for the 1997 tour of Australia and New Zealand to play three ODIs and several domestic games. She represented the Pakistan women's cricket team in their first ever ODI match against New Zealand in January 1997. Although Pakistan lost the match by 10 wickets, Baluch was the top-scorer with 19 runs. Her performance did not improve during subsequent series in Australia and India. During a match against Denmark in India, she recorded her best ODI bowling figures by taking 2 wickets for 13 runs.

The Test squad selected her for a tour of Sri Lanka in 1998. This series featured the first ever Test match for the Pakistan women's cricket team. Baluch top-scored for her team with 76 runs in the first innings of her debut match. The hosts won that game by 309 runs. She recorded a duck in her next match against Ireland in 2000.

The team hosted the West Indies for a series in 2004. During the only Test match of that series, she scored 242 runs in the first innings. This remains the highest individual score by a player in Women's Test cricket as of 2021. She also achieved her career-best Test bowling performance during the third innings of that match when she took 2 wickets for 41 runs.

Personal life

Baluch grew up playing sports alongside her youngest brother. Her father served as her initial cricket instructor.