The Sadaat Warriors inspire community spirit with cricket
THE Sadaat Warriors are a cricket team made up of Afghan refugees who are bringing the community together on and off the field in Sydney’s west.
Parramatta
Don't miss out on the headlines from Parramatta . Followed categories will be added to My News.
SAVING up for a cricket bat was the best thing Afghan refugee Agha Jafari says he has ever done.
“I had this thing in my imagination that I wanted to make a team, so I bought a bat and I told my best friend that we are going to do it,” Jafari said.
Arriving in Australia less than five years ago, the 24-year-old thought he would feel isolated from the broader Australian society, that was until he started the Sadaat Warriors cricket team in 2015, mixing keen sports fans from refugee backgrounds.
“You get to Australia and it is very different from Afghanistan and Pakistan,” Jafari said.
“I never played cricket in Afghanistan, but in Pakistan I started watching the game and we would play on the streets with anything we had.”
Jafari and his family fled Afghanistan as Hazara ethnic minorities, living in Pakistan as refugees before being moved to Australia and settling in Guildford.
The team has had success in more than just helping refugees feel welcome.
Jafari’s 17-year-old brother Ferman Jafari excelled at the sport, and was scouted for the Thunder Nation Cup All Stars side against the Melbourne Renegades Champions League Team.
The All Stars took out the three-match series in Wagga Wagga, with Jafari starring with the ball in the final two games.
“Ferman is our pride,” Jafari said. “We didn’t know he could play, we helped him start and now he is training with real cricketers. He is a Sadaat success.
“There are so many Afghans in Sydney, I want them to be involved, I want to take the sport to them.”
The Sadaat Warriors participated in the Thunder Nation Cup, an initiative by the Sydney Thunder T20 side to give players from seven cultural backgrounds — including Bangladeshi, Nepalese, Pakistani, Fijian, Sri Lankan, Indian and Afghani — the chance to experience cricket, while representing their community.
Nick Cummins, general manager for the Sydney Thunder, praised the dedication of the team and said he wanted more players to get involved to build cricket communities and foster inclusion.
“The tournament builds a relationship between the various cricket communities and the Sydney Thunder,” Cummins said. “We want the Thunder to play an important part in their lives and give them memorable cricket experiences.
“It also introduces cricket groups to the Cricket New South Wales system that previously operated below the radar.
DHONI NAILS SPIDERCAM
“The Warriors are a passionate group who play as much cricket as they can fit into a weekend.
“One of our co-ordinators recalled how one year they played a whole day from 9am until 3pm then went to play another tournament at 4pm.”
Camper charged after ‘stabbing attack’ in cemetery
A man who was camping at a cemetery in Sydney’s west has been charged over allegedly stabbing a 30-year-old man as he walked through the area with two friends.
Sibling revival: Restoration on the ‘Three Sisters’ begins
Almost 150 vacant public housing units in northwest Sydney will be refurbished after a $2bn project to demolish the buildings and replace them with almost 5000 dwellings was dumped.