Women’s cricket in Afghanistan has been facing challenges and the International Cricket Council (ICC) looks at it with compassion, aiming for a better tomorrow. ICC chairman Jay Shah believes that “constructive dialogue” is the way forward in terms of reaching “viable solutions”.
The ruling Taliban government has banned women’s sports in the country. As per the ICC regulations, every Member board must have a women’s programme. At the same time, the global body also acknowledges that Afghanistan’s situation is different and needs to be dealt with differently.
“We are committed to supporting cricket development through the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) while recognising the challenges facing Afghan women’s cricket, including the concerns of players living in exile,” Shah told BBC.
Afghanistan’s women cricketers played their first game last month since fleeing the country three years ago – a charity match in Australia. Nahida Sapan, who captained the Afghan team in that game, hoped it would usher in “a movement for change”.
The ICC is willing to extend its support to Afghanistan women’s cricket. “The ICC is also reviewing certain communications concerning Afghanistan women’s cricket and exploring how they can be supported within ICC’s legal and constitutional framework,” said Shah. “Our focus is on constructive dialogue and viable solutions that safeguard the best interests of all Afghan cricketers.”
The game’s governing body has a task force that addresses the issue of Afghanistan cricket not having a women’s programme. “Although we continue to support the ACB, we acknowledge the absence of a women’s programme and are actively addressing this through the Afghanistan Cricket Task Force, led by deputy chairman Mr Imran Khwaja,” Shah said.
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