Unveiling Jazbaa : A History of Pakistan Women's Cricket

In 1996, Shaiza Khan led a Pakistan team on a tour of New Zealand and Australia. While the tour was a failure on the cricketing front, the singular act of 11 women wearing flannels and jostling for victory in faraway antipodes was a significant achievement. These women had singularly and collectively worked to throw away the chains of patriarchy and faced down social and cultural norms which had for years conspired to keep women away from sports. And above all, they were harbingers of change who served as aspirational role models for scores of women across Pakistan. The year 2022 marks the silver jubilee of this epochal event. Unveiling Jazbaa is a documentation of the history of Pakistan's women's cricket, the stories of their lead players and how they set out to bring about change. While the cricket they played, and the evolution of Pakistan as a cricketing nation, remains the premise of the story, the tale is told through the lens of society and politics, of personal battles and triumph against odds, of friendships and rivalries, of favours and revenge. The trailblazers of Pakistan women's cricket may not have a stack of trophies to show for their success, but their tale is a testimony to human spirit and endeavour.