Multan Sultans marked a new chapter in the history of the management of PSL cricket after it hired Hijab Zahid as the first female general manager of the franchise
Hijab, 28, was a journalist. She replaced Haider Azhar as GM. A fresh hiring will make her the only female general manager of a T20 franchise anywhere in the world, according to ESPNcricinfo.
She was presently working at Grassroots Cricket as a director.
Multan Sultan announced Ms Zahid’s entry into the franchise on an Instagram post.
Multan Sultans owner Ali Tareen told ESPNcricinfo that Hijab was the most qualified general manager among all PSL sides.
Tareen also committed to hiring three female coaches before the start of the PSL.
Hijab told the sports media organisaton that believed that it was a lot harder to assert authority as a woman. “It’s culturally harder for men to take directions from a woman.”
She also applauded her predecessor Haider Azhar and said he was one-man-army but added that she would approach the job in a different way.
“Just because I’m a female GM doesn’t mean that I’ll only hire women for certain rules. The vision is not about being a woman, it’s about being a good administrator,” Hijab said.
Sultans, which had reached the final of the last three PSL editions and won the league in 2021, passed through a change in ownership this year, as Ali Tareen took control of the franchise after the death of his uncle Alamgir Tareen.