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Against all expectations: the cricket team of Afghan ladies | Discover

Against all expectations: the cricket team of Afghan ladies | Discover

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In August 2021 the world watched in horror while the Taliban seized the control of Afghanistan.

Dr. Catherine Ordway, Association Lecturer and Sport Integrity Research Lead at the University of Canberra, contacted ABC Sports Journalist, and now UC Professorial Fellow Tracey Holmes, who is just the story on the The recent escape of Afghan women's football teamAsk how she could help.

“Tracey told me: the Olympic movement helps the Olympians, FIFA and others help the football players – but nobody helps the Cricket team,” says Catherine.

“The Taliban had the names, photos, addresses and telephone numbers of the team members. It was very clear that the Taliban would go after them, so those women were enormous danger. '

By that time, airports were closed throughout the country, which means that the cricket team should be evacuated across the border, family by family.

“I was determined that we would take entire families with us, as far as possible,” says Catherine.

Woman stands for Sportmemorabilia

Catherine and her employees worked late, night after night for months, communicating via WhatsApp to arrange humanitarian visas and support letters from the Australian government for every refugee. It was difficult work, marred by legal and administrative obstacles and led with haste and confidentiality.

In the end, the Cricket team of Afghan ladies were safely located in Australia – half in Canberra and the other half in Melbourne. In total Catherine helped more than 130 people evacuate: the cricketers, the staff and their families.

The team members were now safe, but their lives had changed forever. They started to pick up the pieces and adapt to the new country, language and culture, but there was still one big piece – the team wanted to play cricket.

Catherine joined Cricket Act and asked CEO and UC Alumna, Olivia Thornton, whether the players could be placed in local clubs.

“Olivia was great, she immediately said yes! She had military precision, worked out how players from different clubs would pick up the girls who lived in different suburbs, and they dropped during a game here or to fill in until they settled in Canberra, “says Catherine.

“The Afghan women are so exceptional. Despite everything, they wanted nothing more than to get the chance to play, that feeling to hit the ball neatly and see flying flying for six. It just fills their hearts, it is part of them, and they just love it. “

Woman in cricket uniform stares in the distance

Toba Khan is one of those athletes. She is now immersed in Cricket almost every day – she plays for Eastlake Cricket Club and coaches in Canberra Grammar School and by holiday programs through International sports camps. She also studies a Bachelor of Business (Human Resource Management) at UC.

Her dream had been to play cricket at international level – and for a long time it seemed like it might never happen.

Toba grew up in the province of Herat in western Afghanistan and played cricket at school. In 2020 she received an invitation to attend a cricket camp in the capital, Kabul. She didn't know it at the time, but this camp would serve as the selections for the first national cricket team in the country.

At the end of the 18-day camp, the coaches gave her that she had been selected for the national team.

“I was so excited to be one of the members. It is what all players want. It doesn't matter which sport – basketball, football or cricket – is a dream of the player to play under the flag of their country and represent their country, “says Toba.

“For many years that dream has not come true.”

In August 2021 the Taliban took the province of Herat.

“The situation was terrible. We could hear the gunfire and the fighting every night. My mother told me they would take Afghanistan, but I had hope, “says Tooba.

Days later the Taliban took Kabul. At the moment the cricket team of the women knew that their lives were in danger.

That was a sad moment for everyone. We have burned our cricket equipment; We burned our papers.

Thanks to their supporters in Australia, the cricket team was able to escape across the border to Pakistan, where they were picked up by the Australian government. Toba came with her younger brother and a small luggage to go on the military planes.

The brother of Toba lives with her in Canberra, the rest of her family, her parents and other brothers and sisters stayed in Afghanistan.

The cricket team, Catherine and their basis of loyal employees continue to argue for the highest power in Cricket, the International Cricket Council (ICC), To support the team's ride for recognition. Multi-million dollar financing to develop cricket for both men and women still flows from the ICC to the Afghan cricket board, even though their women's team as refugees lives in Australia.

“We don't want anything extra from the ICC. We want the same rights that they offer to other men's and women's teams around the world, “says Tooba.

“We want our own team, the Afghan female team. We are not going to give up. Even if we can never play for our country, under our flag, we hope that our work can make it happen for a future generation one day. “

On January 30, the team will play their first T20 match together in Melbourne. The first day of the England vs Australia Test Match (Ashes) follows in the evening and the Afghan women get the chance to look at the MCG.

“I feel super enthusiastic for this game, it finally happens after so many years. It is a dream come true for us. Going into the field for the first time with the teammates, “says Toba.

The reason we have this game is because of these strong, incredible ladies: Catherine, Olivia, Emma Staples and Mel Jones.

Toba has a diploma of rights from Afghanistan, which was awarded after arrival in Australia. It was her goal and mission to inform Afghan women about their rights and to help them fight for their voices to be heard.

“Being a lawyer was my childhood dream – for 12 years of school and four years of university I knew I wanted to do that,” says Tooba.

Although she had imagined to take on the challenge by the law, it appears that the greatest chance of Toba to make the voices of Afghan women are heard by sport, as one of the few elite female athletes of the country.

“The women in Afghanistan have no basic rights, no access to education, no reading or writing. They can't really live, “says Toba.

“But we can elevate our voices for them and ensure that they are heard all over the world. We can send them a powerful message to never give up. '

Story of Kelly White, photos of Tyler Cherry and delivered.

Sources

1/ https://Google.com/

2/ https://www.canberra.edu.au/uncover/news-archive/2025/january/the-afghan-womens-cricket-team

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