Afghan women cricketers reunite in first game after fleeing Taliban

Women cricketers from Afghanistan have played their first game since fleeing their nation three years ago, partnering up for an Australian charity match that Nahida Sapan hoped would “promote a movement for change.”

As the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, hundreds of female athletes eluded a hardline position that essentially outlawed both their sports and education.

The majority of Australia’s women’s cricket teams reconnected for the first time on Thursday to play a charity game in Melbourne after settling as refugees there.

“Together, we’re building not just a team, we’re building a movement for change and promise”, Sapan said in the run-up to the game.

We have high hopes for this contest because it will help to expand Afghan women’s future opportunities in sport and education.

In November 2020, the Afghanistan Cricket Board made significant strides by awarding professional contracts to 25 promising female cricketers.

Before the young squad had a chance to play together, the Taliban seized Kabul, the city’s capital, and put an end to women’s cricket.

“The situation in Afghanistan is terrible. Women don’t have their rights.

I can live the way I want in Australia.

“But back home in Afghanistan… I can only say it is very heartbreaking and very hard to live in that situation”.

Diana Barakzai, who helped found Afghanistan’s first women’s cricket programme almost 20 years ago, said the match was an “amazing moment”.

“I’m sure it’s a big message for the world, that the world will do something for Afghan women”, she told the AFP news agency.

“Especially for opening the school doors, opening up work for women”.

22 of the 25 women the Afghanistan Cricket Board initially signed are now residing in Melbourne and Canberra, Australia.

In an effort to create a refugee team with some sort of official status, some of these players have contacted the governing International Cricket Council (ICC) to make a campaign pitch.

“A profound sadness remains that we, as women, cannot represent our country like the male cricketers”, some players wrote in a joint letter last year.

“The formation of this team will bring all Afghan women who want to represent their country under one banner.”

These requests have so far been ignored by the ICC.

Thursday’s game was played at Melbourne’s Junction Oval, a storied ground where a young Shane Warne once plied his trade.

The Afghan side played an invitational outfit for Cricket Without Borders, a charity that aims to introduce young women to the game.

Governing body Cricket Australia threw its weight behind the match, pledging to “advocate” for the Afghan women’s side at the highest levels.

Chief Executive Officer Nick Hockley stated earlier this week, “I’m just so proud of everyone in Australian cricket who has worked hard to support the players since they’ve been in Australia.”

Source: Aljazeera