A romantic comedy with a grisly background, very suitable for both genders. We are in Kabul in 2000 and for the first fifty pages or so the scene setting is brilliant, pointing up the incongruity of the cricket against the background of Islamic fanaticism. In the next fifty odd pages the tension is ratcheted up when a creepy Minister declares, through his minions, that he wants to marry our heroine. How she copes with this completes the book. Through disguise, cricket, deception and pure guts, she inevitably wins. Starting off pretty dark, strong and grim, this finishes light, compulsive and highly satisfactory. I loved it.
Rukhsana, a spirited young journalist in Kabul, is summoned to the infamous Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice to face its terrifying minister, Zorak Wahidi. A cricket tournament is announced, with the winning team to travel to Pakistan for training and then represent Afghanistan at an international level. In reality, 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 Rukhsana. The tournament offers hope - a means of escape for her brother and young cousins. And for Rukhsana, escape is essential - Wahidi wants to marry her, a frightening proposition which will enslave her 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.
Timeri N. Murari is an award winning writer, filmmaker, and playwright. Time magazine chose his film, The Square Circle, for its top ten of the year in 1997. His works include the bestselling novel, Taj, which has been translated into over twenty languages. Timeri lives with his wife in his ancestral home in Madras, India.
