Tooba Khan Sarwari finally stepped out on the pitch.

With an overwhelming sense of energy and pride of being on an internationally recognised stage and belonging to a team of Afghanistan’s most talented athletes, the cricket player took a moment for herself. 

Eyes closed, head tilted up, a rejoicing smile revealing itself from beneath her visor, she stretched out her palms in a silent prayer — a thank you for a blessing that seemed almost impossible to grant since the Taliban’s return in her home country.

“It felt like a significant step for Afghan women in sports, and I’m proud to have been a part of it,” Tooba tells The New Arab.

This was the historic debut of the Afghan National Women’s Cricket Team on January 30, against the Cricket Without Borders team in Melbourne, Australia.

It was a moment five years in the making, and against all the odds.

Despite signing professional contracts with the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in 2020, the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 rendered their professional sporting careers null and void and forced them into exile — the only option to ensure their survival. 

Tooba can still remember her despair when the Taliban captured her home province of Herat, and quickly seized control of the entire country. 

“It’s [still] very hard to remember that situation,” Tooba continues. “In the evening, I heard the gun sounds, then I said, ‘What’s going on?’ My mum told me: ‘They took Herat’. 

“After a day or two, they took Kabul. It was a very bad situation. I locked my door and cried the whole night.”

For Afghan women, the Taliban’s return put all ambitions on pause, and triggered immediate scrambling to eliminate all evidence of prior achievements and prominence in society.

“I burned all my cricket equipment… all my certificates,” Tooba revealed. “I was a very active girl in the Afghan society. I had studied law, worked in a court for six months. I regularly arranged programmes for women’s rights initiatives as well as sports coaching for six schools in the Herat province.” 

All of Tooba’s hard work and ambition, not only for herself, but for other girls in her community, seemed to evaporate overnight.

However, an unexpected lifeline emerged from Canberra, Australia, when Dr Catherine Ordway, an associate professor and sports lawyer from the University of Canberra, contacted two of Tooba’s teammates, Sofia Yousufzai and Benafsha Hashimi. 

“One of my teammates called me and she said that the Australian government had a plan to help, [and evacuate] our teammates and me from Afghanistan to Australia,” she explained. 

The cricketers’ ACB contracts became a vital tool in proving their identities, as Dr Ordway led a successful evacuation of the team, with the support of the Australian Government as well as Melanie Jones OAM and Emma Staples. 

Twenty-two women, the majority of the team, were evacuated to Australia on humanitarian visas; meanwhile, two relocated to Canada, and one to the UK. 

Among the Australian cohort were Tooba and her teammate Firooza Amiri.

Both women made the impossibly tough decision to say goodbye to the majority of their families, arriving at the Pakistani border with a few precious items — not even a digital footprint of their past selves.

“I came with one dress, nothing more,” Tooba said. 

“It was so scary. I deleted all my information in my [social media] [about] when I played cricket, all my videos, my pictures, or anything else.”

Meanwhile, Firooza was stopped by Afghan border officials and police at eight checkpoints along the way. She told some that she was going to a wedding, and others that her family was travelling to seek medical care for her mother. 

In that moment, as she prayed that she would make it across the border, she could hardly have imagined that she would be involved in a cricket match of such significance years later.   

“I feel an overwhelming sense of pride and emotion,” Firooza told The New Arab.

“With this match, we made history. For the first time, Afghan women stepped on to an international cricket ground. This was the moment our team had been dreaming of for so long,” she adds. 

“The instant we set foot on that field, we weren’t just representing Afghanistan; we were carrying the hopes and dreams of millions of Afghan girls and women who have been denied their rights and are still waiting for a sign of hope. It was more than just a game, it was a statement of resilience, courage, and the unbreakable spirit of Afghan women.”

Tooba says that she was overwhelmed by the support, both from the jubilant crowd at Melbourne’s Junction Oval, and the support they received internationally from allies of the Afghan women’s rights movement who were tuned in online. 

“The support and energy from the crowd, as well as the camaraderie within the team, really made it memorable,” she said. 

The match also symbolised the powerful resilience of the Australian migrant and refugee community.

Tooba recounted the difficulties she initially faced resettling in Australia, rapidly adapting to a new environment and culture to keep her dreams alive.

“When I came to Australia, I couldn’t speak English. It’s like [a new] language, new culture, new everything… and we had no family members with us for support,” she said. 

“Sometimes it was very difficult… [but now] I have the opportunity to play cricket. I study International Relations and Politics at Canberra University, and I’m working as a cricket coach at Canberra Grammar School. I have successfully rebuilt my life… a new one in Australia.”

Perhaps most importantly, Tooba said that her team’s recent success has added much needed kindling to the fire of resistance back home.

“Many [Afghan girls and women back home] have expressed how inspiring it was to see us on the field, and how it made them feel more empowered to pursue their own dreams,” Tooba explained to The New Arab. 

“The support we’ve received from them has been heartwarming, and it reinforces the importance of what we’re doing.”

Despite the global media attention this match garnered, and the team’s prior lobbying of the International Cricket Council (ICC), including an official letter to Chair Greg Barclay requesting their support in establishing a refugee team to compete internationally — the governing body has remained silent on the matter. 

Under the ICC’s official rules, a country’s full member status in cricket is conditional upon having both men’s and women’s cricket teams.

Despite this, Afghanistan’s men’s team have competed in the 2023 Cricket World Cup and recently kicked off their ICC Champions Trophy campaign — despite calls for the other competing nations to boycott these matches until the Taliban takes meaningful action to recognise women’s rights to work, education, and public participation. 

“I am deeply heartbroken and disappointed by the situation that Afghan girls and women are facing right now,” Firooza added.

“The reality is devastating — girls as young as 14 or 15 are being forced into marriage, denied education, and stripped of their basic rights. At an age when they should be in school, making friends, and building their future, they are instead confined to their homes with no choice over their own lives.”

Firooza added that her team’s participation in matches abroad goes hand in hand with advocacy for her peers back home.

“We hope to raise global awareness of these injustices. The Taliban is not just silencing Afghan women; they are killing their dreams. But despite everything, we refuse to be erased. Our team is playing not just for ourselves, but for every Afghan girl who is denied the right to live freely.” 

The Pitch our Future campaign was announced after the Melbourne cricket match with the aim of keeping this fight for justice alive.

An Australian-led initiative driven by Melanie Jones and Dr Ordway, it aims to raise AUD$1.5m (through online donations) to fund a three-year programme that would support the Afghan women’s cricketers to play regularly and care for their mental and physical needs.  

Almost five years after signing professional contracts, taking a break to process all that they have achieved is vital, but they see their purpose as much bigger than sport, and the need for their help is urgent.

“For us, this game is just the beginning — we want to open doors not only for cricket but for all sports for Afghan women,” Firooza said.

“Afghan women have the talent, the passion, and the resilience to succeed. All we need is the opportunity to prove what we are truly capable of.”

Australia has supported this team while the Taliban and the ICC have ignored their existence. Now they’re calling on the world to stand behind them as they continue to demand change.

“With the support of people from around the world, we aim to continue competing and creating opportunities for Afghan women in cricket. Our goal is not just to play but to build a sustainable future for the next generation of Afghan female athletes,” Tooba says. 

“This is more than a game — it’s a movement, and we hope the world will stand with us.”

Firooza adds that she was incredibly grateful to the Australians for opening their arms to her and her teammates, and expresses pride in the myriad strong women involved in this story of triumph against the odds.

“In a situation where we lost everything and faced incredibly difficult circumstances, three amazing women helped us come to Australia,” Firooza said.

“They have been super supportive throughout our journey, and since arriving here, they have helped us in so many ways.”

Firooza believes that Cricket Australia also serves as a model of world-class sports leadership and human rights advocacy.

“They were the only board that raised their voice for us and equal opportunities for women in cricket. That means so much to us, and we are truly grateful for everything Australia has done.” 

Recognising the untold adversity experienced by silenced women and girls back home, Firooza left one last message just for them: “Never stop dreaming… No matter how dark the present may seem, change will come, and one day, you will be free.

“We are fighting for that future, and we won’t stop until every Afghan girl has the chance to chase her dreams — whether in sports, education, or any path she chooses.” 

If you would like to make a donation to the Pitch Our Future fund, you can do so via this link.

Bianca Roberts is a freelance journalist and mass communication lecturer in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Ciaran O’Mahony is an Abu Dhabi-based journalist whose work has been published by numerous outlets including The Guardian and The Age. He is the founding editor of the independent and award-winning publication, The Jaded Newsman