• Sportzyverse
• Cricket news
• 07/02/2024
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Seventeen female cricketers have appealed to the International Cricket Council (ICC) for assistance establishing a refugee team based in Australia. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) contracted the players in 2020 before the Taliban’s return to power. These players, unable to represent their country due to current government policies, sent a letter to ICC Chair Greg Barclay on Saturday, requesting “support and guidance” to formalise their team.

The players acknowledged that the ACB and the ICC could not recognize them as a national team under the current Afghan government policies. Instead, they propose to be administered by the East Asian Cricket office based at Cricket Australia, forming a refugee team representing all Afghan women who dream of playing cricket but cannot do so in Afghanistan.

This plea comes from the Afghan men’s team’s remarkable performance in the T20 World Cup, where they reached the semi-finals. The women expressed joy at the men’s achievements while reflecting on their struggles. “We, the formerly contracted players of the Afghanistan Women’s team, are proud and excited by the achievements of Afghanistan at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, and wish to congratulate Rashid Khan and his team on reaching the semi-finals,” their letter read. “A profound sadness remains that we, as women, cannot represent our country like the male cricketers.”

Afghan Women Cricketers Left with No Hope Seek ICC Support

In November 2020, the ACB held a women’s cricket trial in Kabul and contracted 25 players to gradually develop the women’s game. A tour to Oman was planned as their first assignment but never occurred due to the Taliban takeover in August 2021. The new regime’s policies banned women and girls from most public life activities, including sports, forcing many female athletes to seek exile abroad. Many of Afghanistan’s female footballers and cricketers live in Australia, with others in the UK and Canada. Despite playing cricket at local clubs and receiving support from various organizations, they have been unable to present themselves as a representative team.

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The players chose this moment, with Afghan cricket in the headlines, to highlight their existence and propose a solution to their dream to come true. “We want to recruit and train girls and women who love cricket to show the world the talent of Afghan women and to demonstrate the great victories they can achieve if given a chance through the leadership and financial support of the ICC,” the letter stated.

Currently, the ICC cannot offer them official status as it relies on member boards to recognize teams. The ACB, constrained by the Taliban’s stance on women, cannot recognize a women’s team. The exiled players understand these sensitivities and request recognition as a refugee team. They aim to include only Afghan refugee cricketers in their proposed setup.

“Our goals in having a refugee team are to develop and showcase our talent, give hope to the women remaining in Afghanistan, and draw attention to the challenges women of Afghanistan face,” the letter continued. “Like the Afghanistan men’s team, we aim to compete at the highest levels.”