With the Taliban back in power in Afghanistan, the issue of Afghan women’s rights to everything from education and jobs to representation in sports is now at the forefront, globally. Last week, Ahmadullah Wasiq, the deputy chairman of the Taliban’s culture department, announced that Afghan women are prohibited from playing any sport, including cricket, citing reasons such as “it is not necessary that women should play cricket”, “they might face a situation where their face and body will not be covered”, and “Islam does not allow women to be seen like this.
In response to this announcement, Cricket Australia (CA) has revealed that it will cancel the upcoming test match with the Afghanistan men’s cricket team if the Taliban does not lift this ban on women’s cricket forthwith. This test match, scheduled to be held from November 27, 2021, at Hobart, would have been the first time Australia hosted the Afghanistan team.
Cricket Australia’s Response To The Taliban Ban
The Australian cricket board announced that without women’s participation, driving the growth of cricket would be impossible, and this issue is “incredibly important” to them. “Our vision for cricket is that it is a sport for all, and we support the game unequivocally for women at every level,” the CA said in its announcement. “If recent media reports that women’s cricket will not be supported in Afghanistan are substantiated, Cricket Australia would have no alternative but to not host Afghanistan for the proposed test match due to be played in Hobart.”
The ICC’s Stand On The Ban
The International Cricket Council (ICC) rules regarding test matches of this nature clearly state that all 12 full members of the ICC—a list which Afghanistan joined in 2017—must have a national women’s team. If this criteria is not met, the full member will revert to being an associate member, which in turn would mean that they won’t be allowed to play international test cricket.
In a recent statement, the ICC also addressed the Taliban ban on the Afghan women’s cricket team, stating that it “is committed to the long-term growth of women’s cricket”, despite “the cultural and religious challenges in Afghanistan”. “The ICC has been monitoring the changing situation in Afghanistan, and is concerned to note recent media reports that women will no longer be allowed to play cricket. This, and the impact it will have on the continued development of the game, will be discussed by the ICC board at its next meeting,” the statement continued. The ICC’s next board meeting is to be held in October-November, on the sidelines of the Twenty20 World Cup.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board Responds
With such immediate responses coming in, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) chief executive, Hamid Shinwari has revealed that they are watching these developments in “shock and immense disappointment”. Calling the CA’s stance a “knee-jerk reaction” in a statement, the Shinwari has appealed that other cricket administrators should “Keep the Door Open for Us! Walk with Us”. “The ACB is powerless to change the culture and religious environment of Afghanistan,” Shinwari’s statement said. “We are concerned that, if other countries’ cricket administrators follow the CA, then Afghan cricket will be alienated from the cricket world, the development of cricket in our country will be stalled and, even more concerning, cricket may cease to exist in Afghanistan.”
Cricket was introduced in Afghanistan by the British in the 19th century, but it only gained prominence as a major sport in the country when Afghan refugees returning from Pakistan taught the game to the nation in the 1990s. In fact, the Afghanistan Cricket Federation was formed in 1995 in Pakistan. The Taliban had banned cricket during their last rule from 1996 to 2001, but as the game rose in popularity, the ACB was able to join the ICC in 2001 as an affiliate member. The Afghan women’s cricket team was first formed in 2010, disbanded a few years later due to safety concerns, and revived again last year by the ACB with contracts being given to 25 players.