The Taliban Cricket Club Author:Timeri N. Murari Set in war-torn Kabul, a harrowing yet tender novel -- Bend It Like Beckham in a burka -- about one woman's courage and guile in the face of terror and tyranny. — A spirited young journalist supporting her widowed mother and younger brother in Kabul, Rukhsana is summoned to the infamous Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vic... more »e to face its terrifying minister, Zorak Wahidi, who announces that the winner of a cricket tournament will travel to Pakistan to train and then play at an international level.
The idea is ludicrous. The Taliban will never embrace a game rooted in civility, fairness, and equality. And no one in Afghanistan even knows how to play cricket -- except Rukshana. She learned it in Delhi, where she fell in love despite her commitment to an arranged marriage in Kabul. The tournament offers hope -- a means of escape for her brother and young cousins. For Rukhsana there's more at stake in escaping: Wahidi wants to marry her -- a frightening proposition that means enslavement in his home.
With the help of her cousins, Rukhsana devises an audacious plan that could ensure their freedom. All they have to do is learn to play cricket -- and win.
A soaring novel of resilience, strength, hope, and tenderness, The Taliban Cricket Club reveals how love can overcome, and outwit, the power of tyrants.« less