KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Former members of the Afghanistan women’s cricket team, now living in exile, have urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) to help them establish a refugee team in Australia, aiming to give hope to Afghan women.
As reported by The Cricketer, in a letter to the ICC, Afghan female cricketers who relocated to Australia after the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan have requested the opportunity to represent Afghan women who dream of playing but are unable to due to Taliban restrictions.
They have congratulated the Afghanistan men’s team for reaching the semi-finals at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, expressing profound sadness that they cannot represent their country like the male cricketers.
Currently, Afghanistan remains the only ICC full member country without a women’s team. Following the Taliban takeover, many of the previously contracted Afghanistan women’s cricketers fled and resettled in Australia.
The ICC reportedly cannot grant official recognition to the Afghan women’s cricket team because the Taliban does not acknowledge women’s teams, and the ICC fears that pressing the issue with the regime could endanger lives.
As an alternative, Afghan female cricketers, understanding the sensitivity of the issue, are requesting recognition through a different approach: being designated as a refugee team comprising only exiled Afghan female cricketers.
“Our goals in having a refugee team are to develop and showcase our talent, give hope to the women remaining in Afghanistan, and to draw attention to the challenges women of Afghanistan face,” they wrote.
“Creating a team of Afghan refugees can give us a chance to play, coach, and administer a cricket team without borders. The creation of this team will allow all Afghan women who want to represent their country to come together under one banner,” they added.
The ICC has yet to respond to the plea of Afghan female cricketers.
