ICC pledges greater support to exiled Afghan women cricketers

NEW DELHI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has committed to providing greater support to Afghanistan’s displaced women cricketers as they seek to resume their sporting careers.

Following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 and the subsequent ban on women’s participation in sport, most of the national players were forced into exile.

Several of them have since resettled in Australia, where they played a symbolic match in Melbourne earlier this year, notably without wearing their official team crest.

The ICC's annual conference in Singapore at the weekend heard that progress had been made on the governing body's Afghanistan women's cricket initiative.

"The programme aims to deliver structured support," the ICC said in a statement late Sunday.

It includes "domestic playing opportunities, and engagement at key ICC global events, including the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 in India and the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 in England," the statement continued, without giving details.

But reports said it will enable Afghanistan players the chance to speak to fellow international cricketers and attend workshops conducted by coaches at the global showpieces.

The initiative is a collaborative effort by the cricket boards of India, England, India and Australia under the supervision of ICC deputy chair Imran Khwaja.