Zainab Abbas

Zainab Abbas was born in Lahore to domestic cricketer Nasir Abbas and politician Andleeb Abbas.She studied at Aston University in Birmingham and then earned an MBA in Marketing and Strategy from the University of Warwick.{{Cite web|last=www.webspider.pk|first=Web Spider (pvt) Ltd|title=Interview with Zainab Abbas — Award-winning Sports Journalist|url=https://www.hilal.gov.pk/her-article/detail/MzI1MQ==.html|access-date=2022-01-18|website=www.hilal.gov.pk|language=en}} She then spent two years working for Dolce & Gabbana at Harrods.

Her father played in the Faisalabad and Hafizabad cricket teams as a bowler{{cite web |title=Pakistan Cricket - 'our cricket' website |url=http://www.pcboard.com.pk/Pakistan/Players/19/19494/19494.html |website=www.pcboard.com.pk |access-date=2019-10-12 |archive-date=2019-10-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012080109/http://www.pcboard.com.pk/Pakistan/Players/19/19494/19494.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |title=Nasir Abbas {{!}} Pakistan Cricket Team {{!}} Official Cricket Profiles {{!}} PCB |url=https://www.pcb.com.pk/player-detail.php?action=view_profile&player_id=46135¬e=&country_id=&pg=541&ipp=50&player_name=&father_name=&district=®ion=&school=&address=&club= |website=www.pcb.com.pk| date=17 May 2023 }} and went to the same college as Ramiz Raja. On the other hand, her mother is a senior member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party, elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan on a reserved seat for women from Punjab,{{cite news |last1=Reporter |first1=The Newspaper's Staff |title=List of MNAs elected on reserved seats for women, minorities |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1426560/list-of-mnas-elected-on-reserved-seats-for-women-minorities |work=DAWN.COM |date=12 August 2018 |language=en}} and was appointed as the Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs.{{cite news |title=15 MNAs appointed as parliamentary secretaries {{!}} Pakistan Today |url=https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2018/09/27/15-mnas-appointed-as-parliamentary-secretaries/ |work=www.pakistantoday.com.pk}} She also covered a few cricket events as a journalist, including the 1999 World Cup.

In November 2019, Abbas married Hamza Kardar in Lahore.{{cite news|date=25 November 2019|title=Cricket commentator Zainab Abbas has tied the knot|work=images.dawn.com|url=http://images.dawn.com/news/1184089/}} Hamza is the son of former finance minister and former governor of State Bank of Pakistan, Shahid Hafeez Kardar, himself the son of Abdul Hafeez Kardar, Pakistan cricket team's first captain.Web Desk (26 November 2019), [https://dailytimes.com.pk/507678/pakistani-cricket-commentator-ties-knot-with-hamza-kardar/ "Pakistani cricket commentator ties knot with Hamza Kardar"], DailyTimes. Retrieved 30 November 2019.

Her younger brother Hussain Abbas Mirza is a fitness trainer, who in February 2023 joined Multan Sultans as their strength and conditioning specialist for the 2023 PSL.{{Cite web |date=7 February 2023 |title=Zainab's younger brother joins PSL 8 |url=https://www.geosuper.tv/latest/22509-zainabs-younger-brother-joins-psl-8 |website=Geo Super}}

Abbas used to work as a makeup artist with her own studio until 2015,{{Cite web|title=From a makeup artist to ICC presenter: Zainab Abbas narrates her cricket journey|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/483100-from-a-makeup-artist-to-icc-presenter-zainab-abbas-narrates-her-cricket-journey|access-date=2022-01-18|website=www.thenews.com.pk|language=en}} when she successfully auditioned to appear as a guest on a show on Dunya News for the 2015 Cricket World Cup alongside former national team players Saeed Ajmal and Imran Nazir, which launched her career as a cricket presenter and commentator.

She then went to England as a correspondent for Dunya News to cover the Pakistan national cricket team on their 2016 tour. There, she appeared as a guest on BBC's Test Match Special.{{Cite web|title=BBC Radio 5 live - Test Match Special, TMS:The journalist panel|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p043x1f7|access-date=2022-01-18|website=BBC|language=en-GB}}{{Citation|title=Our journalist panel Derek... - BBC Test Match Special|url=https://www.facebook.com/testmatchspecial/videos/10154406618014904/|language=en|access-date=2022-01-18}} Upon her return, she earned a full-time contract to present her own show Cricket Dewangi on Dunya News, which she did from 2016 to 2018. During this time, she also wrote sports pieces for Pakistani independent news outlets Dawn{{cite news |title=News stories for Zainab Abbas - DAWN.COM |url=https://www.dawn.com/authors/4519/zainab-abbas |work=www.dawn.com |language=en}} and Dunya News.{{cite news |title=Zainab Abbas, Author at Dunya Blog |url=http://blogs.dunyanews.tv/author/zainababbas/ |work=Dunya Blog}}

Abbas has been one of the presenters of the Pakistan Super League from 2016 onwards, as well as for the Abu Dhabi T10.{{Cite web|date=2021-04-25|title=Zainab Abbas: 'The Hundred will mix youth and energy. I'm happy to be part of it'|url=http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/apr/25/cricket-zainab-abbas-the-hundred-interview|access-date=2022-01-18|website=the Guardian|language=en}} She has also worked with TEN Sports, Star Sports, and Sony for a while.{{Cite web |date=2019-06-12 |title=Zainab Abbas: The Pakistani Wonder Woman Who's Making Us Proud |url=https://www.fuchsiamagazine.com/2019/06/12/5-reasons-why-zainab-abbas-is-giving-us-serious-women-goals/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929203204/https://www.fuchsiamagazine.com/2019/06/12/5-reasons-why-zainab-abbas-is-giving-us-serious-women-goals/ |archive-date=2020-09-29 |access-date=2022-01-18 |website=FUCHSIA |language=en-us}}

In late 2017, she hosted a web-series talk show titled Sawal Cricket Ka, which had seven episodes.{{cite news |title='Brighto Sawal Cricket Ka!' - Pakistan's first-ever web series releases today |url=https://nation.com.pk/19-Oct-2017/brighto-sawal-cricket-ka-pakistan-s-first-ever-web-series-releases-today |work=The Nation |date=19 October 2017 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=Cricket Videos - Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Official Website |url=https://www.pcb.com.pk/videos/76.html |website=www.pcb.com.pk}} From May 2018 to May 2019, she hosted 14 episodes of the web-series talk show Voice of Cricket on Cricingif. In both these shows, she interviewed various Pakistani cricketers.{{Cite web|date=2018-08-14|title=www.cricingif.com|url=https://www.cricingif.com/stories/19980/Imam-appears-on-Cricingif-voice-of-cricket|access-date=2022-01-18|website=Cricingif|language=en}}{{Cite web|date=2019-02-13|title=www.cricingif.com|url=https://www.cricingif.com/stories/29661/Sarfraz-is-the-best-captain-currently-among-all-captains-Shahid-Afridi|access-date=2022-01-18|website=Cricingif|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Sana Mir reveals the name of her favourite cricketers|url=https://crickettimes.com/2018/10/sana-mir-reveals-the-name-of-her-favourite-cricketer/|access-date=2022-01-18|website=CricketTimes.com|date=26 October 2018 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web|date=2018-08-13|title=Playing against India will be a dream come true moment for Imam-ul-Haq|url=https://www.crictracker.com/playing-india-will-dream-come-true-moment-imam-ul-haq/|access-date=2022-01-18|website=CricTracker|language=en}}

In May 2019, Abbas became the first woman sports reporter and commentator to cover the ICC 2019 World Cup from Pakistan.{{Cite web|date=2019-09-05|title=Top of the game: Pakistani women inspire others to take up sports|url=https://www.arabnews.pk/node/1549991/pakistan|access-date=2022-01-18|website=Arab News PK|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=For the love of cricket - Zainab Abbas of Pakistan|url=https://gulfnews.com/opinion/for-the-love-of-cricket---zainab-abbas-of-pakistan-1.1644125031777|access-date=2022-02-20|website=gulfnews.com|date=6 February 2022 |language=en}}

In July 2021, Abbas made her debut on Sky Sports as part of the broadcasting team for the inaugural season of The Hundred, thus becoming the first Pakistani female presenter to do so.{{Cite web|title=Zainab Abbas says she is 'honoured' to debut with Sky Sports|url=https://www.geo.tv/latest/345022-zainab-abbass-to-make-debut-with-sky-sports-this-summer|access-date=2022-01-18|website=www.geo.tv|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Borkakoty|first=Rituraj|title=WKND Special: Inspiring journey of Pakistani sports presenter|url=https://www.khaleejtimes.com/interviews/psl-2021-people-wonder-how-can-a-woman-be-talking-about-sports-says-pakistani-sports-presenter-za|access-date=2022-01-18|website=Khaleej Times|language=en}}

In 2023, Abbas travelled to India to cover the Men's Cricket World Cup. She had expressed her excitement in being able to travel and explore the country. It was later reported she left the country due to security concerns, after controversy arose following old resurfaced anti-Hindu and anti-India tweets. International Cricket Council stated that she left for personal reasons. Abbas later apologised for the old tweets and stated that "they do not represent my values."{{Cite web|date=October 13, 2023|title=Pakistan Presenter Zainab Abbas Breaks Silence After Leaving India Over Social Media Storm|url=https://sports.ndtv.com/icc-cricket-world-cup-2023/cricket-world-cup-2023-pakistan-presenter-zainab-abbas-breaks-silence-after-leaving-india-over-social-media-storm-4476211}}{{Cite web |last=Livemint |date=2023-10-09 |title=‘Who gave her visa..,': Social media after Zainab Abbas leaves India |url=https://www.livemint.com/news/india/who-gave-her-visa-social-media-reacts-after-pakistani-cricket-commentator-zainab-abbas-deported-from-india-11696857129299.html |access-date=2024-02-06 |website=mint |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2023-10-09 |title=Zainab Abbas leaves India as her alleged old posts mocking religious sentiments resurface |url=https://www.mensxp.com/sports/cricket/146659-cricket-world-cup-2023-zainab-abbas-leaves-india-old-posts-mocks-religion.html |access-date=2024-02-06 |website=MensXP |language=en-IN}}{{Cite web|date=October 13, 2023|title=Zainab Abbas: Pakistan reporter who left India sorry for old posts|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-67097565}}

In 2019, Abbas was awarded the Sports TV Host of the Year award at the first Pakistan Sports Awards.{{Cite web|title=First-ever Pakistan Sports Awards acknowledge achievements of athletes|url=https://www.geo.tv/latest/231394-first-ever-pakistan-sports-awards-acknowledge-achievements-of-athletes|access-date=2022-01-18|website=www.geo.tv|language=en}} In July 2020, she was included in the 100 most influential list of people in Asia/UK/EU by the New York Press Agency.{{Cite web|date=2020-07-17|title=RFAK, Zainab Abbas and more among Asia's 100 Most Influential|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/2255340/rfak-zainab-abbas-and-mor-among-asias-100-most-influential|access-date=2022-01-18|website=The Express Tribune|language=en}} In October 2020, she was invited to the TedxLahoreWomen event to give a talk.{{Cite web|title=Zainab Abbas – TEDxLahore|url=http://tedxlahore.com/zainab-abbas/|access-date=2022-01-18|website=tedxlahore.com}}{{Cite web|date=2020-12-09|title=Many felt that a woman cannot talk about sports: Zainab Abbas|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/2275293/many-felt-that-a-woman-cannot-talk-about-sports-zainab-abbas|access-date=2022-01-18|website=The Express Tribune|language=en}}

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Category:Living people

Category:1988 births

Category:Pakistani television hosts

Category:Pakistani Muslims

Category:Pakistani women television presenters

Category:Pakistani make-up artists

Category:Pakistani sports broadcasters

Category:Alumni of Warwick Business School

Category:Pakistani cricket commentators

Category:Mass media people from Lahore