ICC concerned over ban on women cricket in Afghanistan

KARACHI: International Cricket Council Wednesday expressed concerns about media reports indicating a possible ban on women's cricket in Afghanistan.

An ICC spokesman told Geo News that the council has been keeping an eye on the policies of the newly-formed Taliban government and media reports on uncertainty regarding Afghan women's cricket.

“The ICC is committed to the long-term growth of women cricket, and despite the cultural and religious challenges in Afghanistan, Afghanistan’s admission as a full member in 2017 had made a steady progress in this area,” said a statement sent by the spokesman.

Our concerns and the impact banning Afghan women's cricket could have on the continued development of the game will be discussed in the next ICC's board meeting, it added.

Earlier, in an interview with the Australian broadcaster SBS, Taliban’s Cultural Commission Deputy Head Ahmadullah Wasiq had said that "women’s sport was considered neither appropriate nor necessary."

Before the ICC had expressed concerns, Cricket Australia also threatened to call off its upcoming men’s series opposite Afghanistan if the country bans women's cricket.

“If recent media reports regarding the ban on women’s cricket in Afghanistan are substantiated, Cricket Australia would have no alternative but not to host Afghanistan for the proposed Test match, due to be played in Hobart,” CA said on Thursday.

As per the ICC guidelines for full membership that make the inclusion of women’s cricket in a country’s cricket structure a

must, Afghanistan Cricket authorities had just issued a contract to 25 women cricketers in 2020.