The England and Wales Cricket Board will take a leading role in a new global initiative to support the displaced women’s cricketers of Afghanistan.
Many of the country’s leading female players have been forced into exile by the effective outlawing of women’s sport by the Taliban regime.
There has been growing political pressure for action at International Cricket Council level, with the continued presence of an Afghanistan men’s team at world events flying in the face of governing body’s own rules around equality and participation.
Now the ICC has formed a task force to oversee the issue, as well as a new financial fund to assist the affected players.
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The Afghanistan women’s cricket team fled the country in 2021 after the Taliban regained power, with most of the team finding refuge in Australia
The ECB, along with Cricket Australia and the Board of Control for Cricket in India, have agreed to work jointly on the project, which aims to provide coaching, facilities and mentorship to those affected.
ICC chair Jay Shah said: “We are deeply committed to fostering inclusivity and ensuring every cricketer has the opportunity to shine, regardless of their circumstances.
“In collaboration with our valued partners, we are proud to launch this task force and support fund, complemented by a comprehensive high-performance programme, to ensure displaced Afghan women cricketers can continue their journey in the sport.
“This initiative reflects our steadfast dedication to cricket’s global growth and its power to inspire unity, resilience, and hope.”
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Sky’s Yalda Hakim spoke to Afghan women cricketers living in exile, as they urged the International Cricket Council to officially recognise them as Afghanistan’s refugee team
The England men’s team recently donated £20,000 to an MCC fund for refugee cricketers, having resisted calls to forfeit their Champions Trophy fixture against Afghanistan in an act of protest.
Richard Gould, chief executive officer at the ECB added: “We are proud to support this new initiative from the ICC. We have been vocal in recent times around the need for meaningful funding to support female players from Afghanistan so that they can thrive despite not being able to play at home.
“Having previously contributed a significant sum to the Global Refugee Cricket Fund, we are encouraged that this positive step from the ICC will go even further. We want the Afghanistan women’s team to continue being a beacon of hope for all women and girls.”
