Afghanistan women call on ICC to form refugee team

Members of nan erstwhile Afghanistan women’s squad person called connected nan International Cricket Council to thief them shape a exile squad based successful Australia.

Formed successful 2010, nan Afghanistan women’s squad disbanded successful 2021 erstwhile nan Taliban returned to powerfulness and banned women from universities, parks, sports and raided nan homes of female athletes.

The ICC requires its afloat members, of which Afghanistan is one, to person a nationalist women’s team, but nan men’s squad has retained its Test position and reached nan semi-finals of nan T20 World Cup past week.

In a missive to ICC chair Greg Barclay, nan Afghanistan women said: “Creating a squad of Afghan refugees tin springiness america a chance to play, coach and administer a cricket squad without borders.

“The creation of this squad will let each Afghan women who want to correspond their state to travel together nether 1 banner.”

The Afghanistan women’s squad was created 9 years aft nan Taliban authorities fell astatine nan hands of a US-led subject coalition.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) initially barred nan women’s squad from playing astatine respective world tournaments, saying it received "Taliban threats".

But 25 female cricketers were handed contracts by nan ACB successful 2020, little than a twelvemonth earlier nan Taliban returned to power, ending immoderate advancement towards Afghanistan playing an charismatic women’s international.

More than 20 Afghan women’s cricketers managed to time off nan state and are presently surviving successful Australia.

“We are asking nan ICC to assistance america successful mounting up a exile squad successful Australia,” said nan letter.

“Through this squad we purpose to correspond each Afghan women who dream of playing cricket but are incapable to successful Afghanistan.

“Our goals successful having a exile squad are to create and showcase our talent, springiness dream to nan women remaining successful Afghanistan, and to tie attraction to nan challenges women of Afghanistan face.

“Like nan Afghanistan men’s squad are afforded, we purpose to compete astatine nan highest levels. We want to enlistee and train girls and women who emotion cricket, to show nan world nan talent of Afghan women and to show nan awesome victories they tin execute if fixed a chance done nan activity and financial support of nan ICC.”

The ICC has been contacted for comment.