Afghanistan
Flag of Afghanistan
AssociationAfghanistan Cricket Board
Women's international cricket
First internationalvs Tajikistan Tajikistan in Dushanbe, July 2012
As of 5 January 2023

The Afghanistan women's national cricket team was the team that represented the country of Afghanistan in international women's cricket matches. The team was first established in 2010, but played only a single tournament amidst opposition from Islamists opposed to women's sport.[1] An attempt at revival was made in 2020 when the Afghanistan Cricket Board awarded central contracts to 25 players. However, the team was disbanded following the 2021 Taliban offensive and capture of Kabul in accordance with the Taliban's ban on women's sport.

History

2010–2014

The team was first formed in 2010,[2] but disbanded in 2014.[1] Although the team never played representative cricket in ICC competition, it had been scheduled to take part in the 2011 ACC Women's Twenty20 Championship in Kuwait, which ran from 17 to 25 February. The team was forced to withdraw from the tournament before travelling to Kuwait due to elements in Afghanistan opposing women's participation in sport.[3]

In 2012, the team participated in a 6 team tournament in Dushanbe, Tajikistan,[4] and became Champion by winning four matches and tying one.[5]

2020–August 2021

In November 2020, the Afghanistan Cricket Board awarded central contracts to twenty-five players, in their bid to form a national team to take part in ICC tournaments.[6][7] In October 2020, ACB organised skills and fitness camp as well as the national team trial camp at the Alokozay Kabul International Cricket Ground for the players who were selected from the talent pool.[8][9]

In April 2021, the ICC awarded permanent Test and One Day International (ODI) status to all full member women's teams.[10]

August 2021–present

Concerns regarding the safety of the Afghan women cricketers and development of women's cricket in Afghanistan were raised following the 2021 Taliban offensive and the 15 August 2021 Fall of Kabul.[11][12][13]

As of 31 August 2021, three of the Afghan women's cricket team, Roya Samim and her two sisters, were in exile in Canada. Samim said that the team members remaining in Afghanistan were afraid of the Taliban. She stated that the International Cricket Council (ICC) had failed to respond to emails calling for help from team members seeking evacuation from Afghanistan, and that the Afghan Cricket Board (ACB) had given no help except to say "Wait". The ICC said that it was not aware of having received emails asking for help and that it was closely monitoring the situation. According to The Guardian, the ICC was keeping in contact with the ACB in order to avoid acting unilaterally. An ACB spokesperson stated that the Taliban appeared to support the continuation of men's cricket.[14]

One of the team members was threatened by the Taliban after the fall of Kabul with being killed "if [she tried] to play cricket again". Another team member, in exile as of 2 September 2021, stated that the ICC "never help[ed]" the women's cricket team, "always disappoint[ed]" the team, and only communicated with the ACB rather than contacting the women's team directly. Several of the team members expressed their expectations and hopes for the women's team to reorganise.[15]

Hamid Shinwari, chief executive officer of the ACB, stated in early September 2021 that he expected the Afghan women's cricket team "to be stopped".[15] The Taliban also said that Afghan women would be barred from playing sport.[16] However, Afghanistan Cricket Board's CEO Lutfullah Stanikzai clarified later in an Al Jazeera interview that women will be allowed to play cricket and that they would not be stopped.

As of April 2023, most of the squad had re-united in Australia.[17]

Tournament history

Host/Year Round/Rank
Tajikistan Women's Tournament in Dushanbe, 2012Champions

Head coaches

  • Diana Barakzai 2010–2014
  • Tuba Sangar 2014–2021[18]

Captains

  • Diana Barakzai 2010–2014

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Afghan Girls Want A (Cricket) League Of Their Own". Radio Liberty. 18 April 2018.
  2. ↑ First women's cricket team for Afghanistan
  3. ↑ "Afghanistan's Pioneer Women". Asian Cricket Council. 15 August 2011.
  4. ↑ "اعتراض تیم ملی کریکت زنان افغانستان". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  5. ↑ "تیم کرکت دختران افغان، بر سکوی قهرمانی - ورزش - کریکت". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  6. ↑ "ACB to award central contracts to 25 female cricketers". Afghanistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  7. ↑ "ACB shortlists 25 for national women's team". CricBuzz. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  8. ↑ "Women cricketers defy threats to play for Afghanistan". news.trust.org. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  9. ↑ "Afghanistan Cricket Board urges patience with women's initiatives". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  10. ↑ "The International Cricket Council (ICC) Board and Committee meetings have concluded following a series of virtual conference calls". ICC. 1 April 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  11. ↑ "Return of Taliban deals a body blow to Afghanistan cricket and women's football teams". Sify. Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  12. ↑ "Afghan female athletes told to go into hiding and delete online profiles in fear of Taliban". inews.co.uk. 17 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  13. ↑ "Afghan women's team expected to be stopped". BBC Sport. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  14. ↑ Aldred, Tanya (31 August 2021). "Afghanistan women's cricketers left feeling abandoned by authorities". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  15. 1 2 Wright, George (2 September 2021). "Afghanistan women's cricket team: Players hiding in Kabul fear Taliban rule". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  16. ↑ "Afghan women to be banned from playing sport, Taliban say". The Guardian. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  17. ↑ Afghanistan women's cricket team: In limbo and in exile in Australia, George Wright, BBC Sport, 18 April 2023
  18. ↑ "Afghan women's cricket crushed by threats and tradition | The National". www.thenational.ae. Archived from the original on 28 December 2014.
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