• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Amid Talibans Ban Afghanistan Women Play Match In Australia Vs Cricket Without Borders

Amid Taliban's Ban, Afghanistan Women Play Match In Australia Vs 'Cricket Without Borders'

Aakash Saini

Afghanistan women played an exhibition match in Australia [Source: @HabibKhanT/x]Afghanistan women played an exhibition match in Australia [Source: @HabibKhanT/x]

An Afghanistan Women’s team, comprising of Afghan women currently in refuge in Australia, played an exhibition 20-over match against ‘Cricket Without Borders’. The match took place at the Junction Oval in Melbourne just before the day-night Women’s Ashes Test match between hosts Australia and England at the adjacent Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

As many as 20 players of the Afghanistan women’s team have been in Australia as refugees since 2021, i.e., ever since Taliban took over Afghanistan government and imposed a ban on women’s sports and education.

Afghanistan women play competitive match in Australia

Cricket Australia, having repeatedly snubbed Afghanistan men’s team from having a bilateral series against Australia as part of their protest against the ruling Afghan government, just organized an exhibition 20-over affair for the Afghanistan women’s team.

The match between Afghanistan Women and a ‘Cricket Without Borders’ team took place in Melbourne just before the one-off Ashes Test match on Thursday, January 30.

Firooza Amiri, one of the Afghanistan women’s cricketers, highlighted the significance of the match while speaking with Cricket Australia. She said:

“We are going to represent millions of Afghan women who are in Afghanistan and denied their rights.”

It is worth noting that several Afghanistan women cricketers were given professional playing contracts by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) back in 2020. However, the return of Taliban into power denied women’s players from playing or training safely in Afghanistan.

Prior to the match, Cricket Australia’s outgoing CEO Nick Hockley had stated that the exhibition match commemorates the efforts provided to Afghanistan women’s players who have relocated to Australia amidst troubled times back home.

Considering Afghanistan government’s stance on women’s cricket, it is worth noting that teams like England and South Africa are considering to boycott Afghanistan in their upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Group B tussle.