Ban, ignore and exile… the story of Afghan women cricketers, who were hurt not only by the Taliban but also by the silence of the world

The journey of Afghanistan’s women cricketers. (Symbolic picture)

Amidst all the debates on women’s rights in the world, there is a country where women are guarded on their walking, dressing, playing and even speaking. Their ‘existence’ has been crushed for decades. But despite all these restrictions, limitations and silence, they have moved ahead. They have always fought but in this battle, they are alone…

Amidst all the debates on women’s rights in the world, there is a country where women are guarded on their walking, dressing, playing and even speaking. Their ‘existence’ has been crushed for decades. But despite all these restrictions, limitations and silence, they have moved ahead. They have always fought but they are alone in this fight because there is only silence all over the world on the atrocities being committed against them.

Now we will talk about the women’s cricket team of Afghanistan, who held the bat in their hands in the hope that they would be able to live their dream and make their country’s name famous in the world. But this country has given them the biggest pain.

This is relevant because the women’s cricket team of Afghanistan is going to return to the field again after about 37 months. But this return is not for the identity of the country but for its existence. In fact, after the ban imposed on the team by the Taliban, the women players took refuge in Australia. Now this team will play a T20 match against Cricket Without Borders XI in Melbourne.

Taliban imposed ban in 2021

It has been more than three years since the Afghanistan women’s team was banned from playing cricket. When the Taliban regained control in August 2021, they imposed several bans on women. Raids were conducted on the homes of female athletes, some of whom were forced to burn their kits to avoid identification. The fear of the Taliban was such that most of the female players either left the country or remained silent.

But did not give up…

Even though the Taliban have tried to trample every right of the women of their country. But the women there have always been hopeful of moving forward. Since the ban, women players have been constantly struggling to play again. When the Taliban stopped the financial payments of the women’s team, they did not get much help from the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB).

The women’s cricket team wrote a letter to the ICC chairman in July 2023 requesting him to help them form a refugee team in Australia. In this, they expressed their desire to hone and showcase their skills, as well as to draw attention to the struggles of the women of

Afghanistan.

Australia supported

After a lot of silence, the women of Afghanistan got the support of Australia. Australia refused to play a series with the Afghanistan men’s team in 2023, criticizing the Taliban’s move. The Australian Cricket Board said that the condition of women and girls in Afghanistan is continuously deteriorating. Similarly, the coach of the England women’s cricket team also raised his voice in support of the Afghan women’s cricket team in this matter. He said that everyone should have the right to represent their country in the sport of their choice.

The journey of cricket in Afghanistan is like a magical story

The emergence of cricket in Afghanistan is like a magical story. When the Taliban first gained power, many things were destroyed, including sports. But a year after the Taliban was ousted from power, the ICC recognized the Afghanistan Cricket Board. After this, in the next 20 years, this country earned a lot of fame in the world of sports. Interest in cricket in Afghanistan grew in the 2000s. The Afghanistan team also proved its mettle. It also made a journey to the Cricket World Cup. It also got Test cricket status in 2017. Star players like Rashid Khan also emerged from this country, while the national women’s cricket team was formed in 2010. Even then it was opposed. Initially, the Afghanistan Cricket Board itself refrained from giving the women’s team a chance in international sports. Even then the board had cited fear of the Taliban. But in 2012, the women’s team went to Tajikistan and performed brilliantly. After this, 25 women were given contracts in the year 2020. But after 10 months, their dreams were shattered again. The Taliban again shattered their hopes.

Once again, after 4 years of struggle, Afghanistan’s women’s cricket team has seen a ray of hope. Australia has given them great relief. Once again their dreams have come alive. But one thing is clear from this struggle-filled journey that along with the restrictions imposed by the Taliban, international silence is also a big wound for Afghan women.