Seventeen female cricketers, who were contracted by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in 2020 before the Taliban's takeover, have requested the ICC's assistance to establish a refugee team in Australia due to the absence of a national side. In a letter to ICC Chair Greg Barclay, they sought "support and guidance" from the governing body to form a team, recognising that the ACB cannot acknowledge them under the current Afghan government policies.
The players acknowledged that the ACB and ICC cannot recognise them as the Afghan national team and did not demand to play under the ACB banner. Instead, they proposed to be managed by the East Asian Cricket office at Cricket Australia, representing Afghan women who aspire to play cricket but cannot do so in Afghanistan.
This plea comes as Afghanistan's men's team reached the T20 World Cup semi-finals, drawing global attention. The female players expressed pride in the men's achievements, while lamenting their own inability to represent their country. "We, the formerly contracted players of the Afghanistan Women's team, are proud of the achievements of Afghanistan at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup and congratulate Rashid Khan and his team on reaching the semi-finals," the letter read. "However, we feel profound sadness that we, as women, cannot represent our country like the male cricketers."
In November 2020, the ACB had conducted women's cricket trials in Kabul and contracted 25 players, planning gradual development with a tour to Oman as their first assignment. However, the Taliban takeover nine months later halted these plans, banning women from most public activities, including sports.
Many female athletes sought exile, with a significant number of Afghan female footballers and cricketers now living in Australia, and some in the UK and Canada. While they continue to play at local clubs, they have not formalised a representative team. They have now chosen this moment, with Afghan cricket in the spotlight, to remind the world of their situation and propose a solution to their exclusion. The ICC cannot grant them official status, as it relies on individual boards to recognise teams. The ACB, constrained by the Taliban's policies, cannot recognise a women's team without risking lives. Understanding these sensitivities, the exiled players have requested recognition as a refugee team, comprising only Afghan refugee cricketers.
"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 Afghan women face," the letter stated. "Like the Afghanistan men's team, we aim to compete at the highest levels. We want to recruit and train girls and women who love cricket to demonstrate the talent of Afghan women and the victories they can achieve if given a chance through the ICC's leadership and financial support."
The ICC has been contacted for comment.