Un Taliban fighter passes a Kabul beauty salon displaying defaced images depicting women.
Asel, along with many of her international team-mates, are hiding. Asel isn’t her real name. Taliban members have already arrived in Kabul to search for Afghanistan's women cricket team.
She says that "every woman who plays cricket or any other sport is not safe at the moment." "The situation in Kabul is extremely dire.
"We have a WhatsApp group and we talk about our problems every night and share plans about what to do. "We are all hopeless."
Asel has not ventured outside her house since mid-August when the Taliban invaded Kabul. She has also locked her cricket gear away. She describes how one of her teammates was killed in the attack.
"Some people who were familiar with them are working for the Taliban in the village where they play cricket." Asel says that the Taliban invaded Kabul and threatened to kill them if they tried to take over cricket.
Taqwa is also using a pseudonym. She was active in Afghan women's soccer for many years. After Kabul fell, she managed to flee the country. She moved house to house in the week that followed to avoid being caught. She was called by the Taliban, who said that he hadn't been in touch with her father.
She says, "I don’t want to think about the consequences." "I didn't eat for a week when the Taliban invaded Kabul. I couldn't sleep and I didn't eat any food for one week.
"I wasn't just thinking about me, I was also worried about my girls. They risk their lives and their educations. Some of them even refused to get married in order to play for Afghanistan. Their lives are very worrying to me."
Hareer, another ex-player, said to the BBC again using an assumed name that playing cricket with an Afghan woman was more than scoring runs and taking wickets.
She says, "When I play, I feel like a strong lady." "I feel confident, and proud of myself.
"I can see myself as a woman capable of doing anything and who can make her dreams come to life."
However, Hareer and the rest on the Afghanistan women's cricket team may have lost their dreams.
They feel betrayed by the authorities in sport who they believed could help them, even though they had so much hope just a year ago.
In Afghanistan, the rise of cricket was a fairytale. Only one year after the Taliban had lifted a ban on cricket, the country was granted affiliation membership by the International Cricket Council. Soon after the Taliban's fall, cricket and other sports such as football began to thrive.
Emal Pasarly, the editor of BBC Pashto, said that the 20-year history was filled with wars, suicide attacks and many other problems. However, the only time the nation was happy was when it was playing sport. This was according to The Sports Desk podcast's August edition.
Only sport can give people a place or time where they are happy, and they can forget all of the other things going around them.
As the men's cricket team rose to prominence on the international stage, the fanaticism for Afghanistan cricket grew in the 2000s. Street celebrations broke out in Afghanistan when they were invited to the 2015 World Cup in Australia. They were awarded Test status in 2017. International stars such as Rashid Khan or Mohammad Nabi are beloved across the country.
In 2010, Afghanistan's first women's national team was established. They were met with resistance right from the beginning.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), in the beginning, prevented the women's cricket team from participating at international tournaments. They claimed it had received "Taliban threats".
The 2012 team traveled to Tajikistan for a regional tournament with six teams. They won it. They folded two years later. Again, the ACB blamed Taliban threats for their decision.
Afghan girls playing cricket in Kabul on their school grounds since 2010.
Even though the team was disbanded, young girls and women still played on makeshift wickets throughout Afghanistan. The ACB had a few staff members who were responsible for organizing women's matches.
However, the same issues arose for this new generation female cricketers.
Hareer claims that many ACB members were not supportive of women and would only organize matches for them if they "begged" them. She says that members of the ACB would also teach women how to behave on the pitch.
She says, "I am a bowler and when I take a stout I can't shout or act happy because there are men around me."
"I must control my emotions. I cannot shout to support my team-mates. I can't support them." "They say, "You shouldn't rejoice, you shouldn't shout, or strike poses."
As the men's team became more prominent, the ACB began to take the women's game seriously. To have a national women’s team, the ICC needs 12 full members - Afghanistan was one of them in 2017 In November 2020, 25 female cricketers were awarded contracts.
A new dawn was seen in Afghanistan for women's cricket just 10 months ago. This hope seems to have faded.
The Taliban had a previous rule that prohibited education for women and girls from 1996 to 2001. Girls were forbidden to go to school after age 8, while women could not leave their home without being accompanied or work.
Although the Taliban tried to present a moderate image, there is little chance that women will be able to participate in sport. Hamid Shinwari (ACB's chief executive office) stated that the Taliban had supported the men's team and they now have approval for their first Test against Australia in Hobart, November. He told BBC that he expected the women's team not to be stopped. This would be a violation of Afghanistan's ICC membership.
A US military plane is preparing to leave Kabul airport with evacuees on 21 August
Afghanistan's female cricketers hope to escape Taliban rule, just like the 50 Australian women athletes who were evacuated in August. Fifa, the world's governing body of football, has stated that it is currently "negotiating the complex evacuation of Afghan footballers."
A spokesperson for the ICC stated that they are in close contact with Afghanistan Cricket Board. She also said that the board is monitoring the situation closely and has offered their support.
Taqwa claims that the ICC has not been in direct contact with the country's female cricketers, and that the ACB has shown little interest in their welfare.
"The ICC never helps us, they always disappoint me." "The ICC is speaking with those who are against women’s cricket, like ACB chairman," she says, referring to Azizullah Fazli who was appointed following the Taliban takeover.
When asked if the ACB supports women's cricket, Shinwari replied that "the future government will decide".
Asel believes that the team can come together again, despite the current situation. Hareer is a living example of Hareer's dreams for a better tomorrow.
She says, "I want to play international cricket."
"I want to be strong Afghan women who can make a difference in the lives of others. I want to be an example for Afghan girls and women. I hope to influence at least one Afghan man's mind. "I want to be proud about myself, that's it."
Asel says: "In Afghan culture there are barriers that affect sportfor women. They believe that women are weak and not built for cricket. They must get married, have children, and then work at home to raise them. They have to take care of their husbands.
"Some relatives in my family say that I can't play cricket because the Islamic culture won't allow women to play it. It is something I enjoy.
"The situation is not good for us. There is still hope for us, even though we are struggling to breathe. We can start over if we are taken out of the country.
"We won't give up on our dreams inshallah [if Allah wills]
