Afghan Women's Cricketers Seek ICC Backing for Refugee Team in Australia

Afghan women's cricketers are asking the International Cricket Council (ICC) to support their formation of a refugee team in Australia after fleeing Taliban bans on women's sports. Despite previous attempts, they still seek support to compete internationally and represent Afghan women's cricket.

A group of Afghan women's cricketers has once again appealed to the International Cricket Council (ICC) for support in establishing a refugee team based in Australia. This comes in the wake of the Afghanistan men's remarkable journey to the semifinals of the Twenty20 World Cup in the Caribbean last week.

Over two dozen women, who were part of the Afghanistan Cricket Board system, sought asylum in Australia in 2021 following the Taliban's takeover and the subsequent bans on women's sports. Although they approached the ICC initially in 2023, they did not receive the desired outcome.

Despite participating in domestic competitions in Australia, these women remain without access to international cricket, even though ICC regulations mandate that all test-playing members should support both men's and women's national teams. In a heartfelt letter to ICC chairman Greg Barclay, the women expressed their longing to represent their country, much like their male counterparts. They urged the ICC to assist in forming a refugee team in Australia to represent Afghan women who aspire to play cricket but cannot do so in Afghanistan. The letter suggested that ICC's endorsement would empower Afghan refugees to play, coach, and manage the team beyond borders.

The women emphasized that creating this team would unite Afghan women under one banner, help showcase their talent, provide hope to women still in Afghanistan, and highlight the challenges they face. Cricket Australia has supported Afghan women's players domestically and has refrained from playing against the Afghan men's team until gender disparity in the cricketing world is addressed.

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