Afghanistan’s exiled women cricketers will be among the spectators at the opening match of the Women’s World Cup 2025 between India and Sri Lanka in Guwahati on Tuesday. These players are currently living in Australia, where they play in the local leagues, because they are not officially recognised by Afghanistan’s cricket board. Their presence at the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) Stadium will be the first attempt to include them in the international cricket set–up.
According to ACA President Taranga Gogoi, preparations are on to welcome the special visitors. “[BCCI secretary] Devajit Saikia knows the details,” Gogoi told ESPNcricinfo. “He will guide us and we are awaiting more details. The Afghanistan players will be here tomorrow and we will make arrangements for that.”
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has not made any kind of public announcement about this. But earlier this year, they had spoken about plans for a “dedicated task force” to support Afghanistan’s female cricketers with coaching and mentorship. Funding is also expected from the ICC, along with the Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI), England and Wales Cricket Board(ECB) and Cricket Australia (CA). However, no figures have been announcedyet.
The ICC decided at its annual conference in July that the Afghan players could travel to India. They planned to train their women’s team in Bengaluru, play against Indian domestic teams, and then attend World Cup games. So far, it’s known that they will be there for the opening match only.
Because of security concerns, the ICC is keeping publicity about this at a low. Most of these players live in Australia. Others are in the UK and Canada. Some of the players faced visa issues before travellingto India.
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