The Kabul Tribune (KT) — ESPNcricinfo has reported that the International Cricket Council (ICC) has outlined a roadmap that could allow an Afghan women's refugee cricket team to compete in international qualification pathways by 2030, although the team would not represent Afghanistan.
According to the report, the ICC reconstituted a Special
Taskforce during its Annual Conference in Edinburgh to oversee the development
of the Afghan women's refugee team. The taskforce includes representatives from
the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the England and Wales Cricket
Board (ECB), Cricket Australia, ICC independent director Dr. Ros Rivaz, and Cricket
Ireland CEO Sarah Keane.
The report said the initiative does not grant the players
permission to compete as Afghanistan because they remain without the support of
the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), while Taliban restrictions on women's
rights continue to prevent the establishment of a national women's team.
According to ESPNcricinfo, many of the players were first
contracted by the ACB in 2020, but plans for Afghanistan's women's national
team ended after the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. Most of the
players later fled Afghanistan and resettled in Australia, while others moved
to Canada and the United Kingdom.
The report said the refugee team played together for the
first time in January 2025 in Melbourne and has since toured India in 2025 and
England in 2026 with financial support from the ICC, the BCCI, the ECB, Cricket
Australia, and other partners.
Under the new roadmap, the ICC taskforce will oversee
long-term support for the team, including coaching, physiotherapy, training
camps, and international fixtures, with the goal of enabling the players to
enter ICC qualification pathways by 2030.
The report quoted Afghan refugee cricketer Nahida Sapan as
saying the program has allowed the players to continue playing cricket and
remain connected as a team, while another player, Firooza Afghan, said the
ICC's long-term commitment provides the team with a clear objective for the
future.
ESPNcricinfo said it has not yet been decided which regional
qualification pathway the Afghan women's refugee team will join.
