timeThe stop-start story of Afghanistan’s women’s cricket team has been on the ICC’s to-do tray since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. At the top, governing bodies rely primarily on procedures to explain their lazy movements.
A brief history: The Taliban’s violent takeover immediately wiped out the development of the nascent women’s team – the players were only awarded contracts in November 2020 and have yet to play an official game. Players and their families faced immediate intimidation – many went home to burn and hide their gear to avoid detection. They fled across the border to Pakistan, and 22 of the 25 were granted emergency Australian visas (two others went to Canada and one to the UK).
From then on, most settled in Melbourne and had to start over with minimal funds – studying, learning English, finding work and, if they had time, playing cricket for local clubs. They feel forgotten. In November 2022, they wrote to the ICC asking for clarification on their situation: “Can you inform the official position on our national team contracts and future playing opportunities, noting that we no longer live in Afghanistan?” But everything No progress was made.
So, nearly three years after fleeing, and with the Afghan men’s team thrust into the spotlight with their victory in the T20 World Cup semi-finals, they wrote again on June 29. This time, an open letter was sent to International Cricket Federation president Greg Barclay, asking the International Cricket Council to support the establishment of an exile refugee team in Australia, to be managed by the East Asia Cricket Office at Cricket Australia headquarters. The letter congratulated Rashid Khan’s team on their success and then continued:
It is deeply sad that we as women cannot represent our country in the same way as male cricketers. Creating a team made up of Afghan refugees gives us the opportunity to play, coach and manage a cricket team without borders. The formation of the team will bring together under one banner all Afghan women who want to represent their country. Our goal in establishing the Refugee Team is to develop and showcase our talents, bring hope to women who remain in Afghanistan, and draw attention to the challenges faced by Afghan women. Just like the Afghan men’s team, our goal is to compete at the highest level. We want to recruit and train girls and women who love cricket, showcase the talent of Afghan women to the world, and show what great things they can achieve if given the chance and through the leadership and financial structures of the International Cricket Council.
Again, the women have received no response, but it is believed the issue will be discussed at the next ICC meeting later this month. Barclays hinted at the MCC’s World Cricket Connect conference (as reported by Isabel Westbury ) that things could change if Cricket Australia comes to them with a proposal.
One of the journalists most closely involved with the story was Alison Mitchell, who stayed in touch with some of the players while in Melbourne and interviewed them for 7Cricket. She also had a rare opportunity to ask the ICC about the issue in November 2023, when she spoke to the organization’s chief executive, Geoff Allardice, on the BBC World Service program Stumped.
“Jeff said, ‘The role of the ICC is that we don’t start engaging with players from any country without the approval of that region’s board of directors,'” Mitchell said. “But these women are no longer under contract with the Afghanistan Cricket Board, they no longer have their recognition or access to them. They do not live in Afghanistan. There is no reason why the ICC should not engage in response to this letter requesting the formation of a refugee panel.” Unprecedented circumstances require unprecedented solutions.
The International Olympic Committee’s response to the upcoming Paris Olympics is to invite Afghanistan’s three men’s and three women’s teams to participate in the Olympics (the Taliban only recognizes three male athletes), and they will compete in Afghanistan’s three colors of red, green and black. Government flag.
The request to form a refugee panel gives the ICC some wiggle room. The International Cricket Federation’s full membership criteria stipulates, among other things, that countries should have a “sustained and sufficient player pool to support strong and consistent national selection for senior men’s, U19 men’s and women’s teams” and “( a) Have participated in at least one (1) ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup or ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in the past four (4) years, or (b) currently appear on the ICC Official Women’s ODI Ranking List”. Afghanistan checked none of the boxes but remains a full member and receives full funding. The refugee team will ensure Afghanistan’s women’s cricket team has a beating heart and a fair share of central funding (although Barclays says this is unlikely).
When the ICC discusses the plight of women in Colombo at its annual meeting, representatives from the Afghanistan Cricket Board will join other representatives at the meeting.
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Over the years, the Afghanistan men’s team has received significant help from BCCI, cricket’s premier power. The Shahid Vijay Singh Patik Stadium in Greater Noida was the team’s first temporary home in 2015, and they also played games at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. The BCCI provided a $1 million grant for the construction of the Kandahar Stadium and hosted Afghanistan’s first Test match in 2018, while the IPL has been the stage for Afghanistan’s young talent.
“We appreciate India’s continued help in building the capacity of the Afghan cricket team. We are really grateful,” Suhail Shaheen, head of the Taliban’s political office, told World Integration News after Afghanistan advanced to the semifinals. WION). BCCI also contributed, albeit belatedly, to the creation of the hugely successful WPL.
With BCCI secretary Jay Shah interested in running for ICC president (the election will be held in November) and Cricbuzz reporting that he will be elected unopposed if he decides to run, the future of Afghanistan’s women’s team appears to be in jeopardy once again. Political will and the geopolitical debate. The clock keeps ticking.
