Arfa Channa: From Thatta’s dusty streets to Pakistan’s cricket dreams

In Thatta, a centuries-old town known more for its crumbling monuments than cricket grounds, the idea of a girl chasing a sporting dream feels almost impossible. Narrow lanes, conservative traditions and the absence of facilities leave little room for ambition.

Yet, every week, 25-year-old Arfa Channa climbs onto the back of her brother’s bike and sets off on a 100-kilometer journey to Karachi, carrying nothing but her kit bag and an unshakable dream — to play for Pakistan.

“I only have one dream,” she says softly but firmly, “to wear the green jersey for my country.”

A family’s leap of faith

Arfa’s dream has already broken barriers at home. She is the first girl in her family to pursue sports, a step that wasn’t welcomed by everyone around her. Relatives whispered, neighbors mocked: “Cricket is for boys. Girls should stay home.”

But her parents refused to clip her wings. Her brothers, too, became her biggest supporters. “Wherever the matches are — Karachi or Hyderabad — I ride with my brother on his bike,” Arfa says with a smile. “I am lucky. My brothers stand by me completely.”

The first trials

Her cricketing journey began during her school days and later gained direction when she joined the Zaheer Abbas Cricket Academy in Karachi, where she received structured training for the first time. Inspired by legends like Sana Mir, Javeria Khan, and Bismah Maroof, Arfa grew up dreaming of Pakistan’s green jersey.

In 2017, she nervously walked into the Karachi Under-21 trials, followed by the Sindh Emerging Team trials at National Stadium. The experience left a lasting mark. “The coaches told me I had potential,” she recalls. “They said if I worked hard, I could become a really good player.”

Those words became her fuel, carrying her through long journeys, sleepless nights, and endless hours of practice.

A rooftop academy

With no cricket ground for women in Thatta, Arfa had to create her own. Her tiny rooftop became her practice arena.

“My house is very small, so I go to the roof and bowl against the wall,” she explains.

In the beginning, her deliveries were erratic. The leg-break she tried would often turn into an unplanned googly. But Arfa didn’t give up. Night after night, she studied videos of Shane Warne, Alana King, and Shadab Khan, imitating their grip, their wrist work, their spin. Slowly, her rooftop began to echo with the rhythm of controlled leg-breaks — proof that persistence was working.

Recognition and rising hopes

Her grit eventually brought recognition. Through the Prime Minister’s Cricket Talent Hunt Youth Program, supported by Lahore Qalandars, Arfa was selected for the Hyderabad Women’s squad — a breakthrough moment for a cricketer from Thatta.

Her inspirations keep her ambition sharp. In Pakistan, she admires Sidra Nawaz, Muneeba Ali, and captain Fatima Sana. Internationally, she looks up to Ellyse Perry, the Australian star she hopes to emulate as a genuine all-rounder.

A voice for Thatta’s girls

For Arfa, the journey is no longer just about herself. She dreams of opportunities for other girls in her hometown.

“Girls want to play cricket, but they never get the chance,” she insists. “The first step should be to build grounds in Thatta and Makli. Only then will more girls be able to follow their passion.”

From the dusty streets of Thatta to the professional academies of Karachi, Arfa’s story is stitched with sacrifice, resilience, and belief. Each bike ride, each rooftop practice, each trial faced with trembling excitement has brought her closer to her dream.

Arfa may still be waiting for her international debut, but she already represents something bigger — the spirit of girls who dare to dream in places that tell them not to.

And if her journey so far is any indication, one day soon, Pakistan’s green jersey may well belong to the girl from Thatta who refused to give up.