Knight wants ICC to help ‘forgotten’ Afghanistan

Heather Knight, England’s captain, has urged the International Cricket Council to do more to support the Afghanistan women’s team, who she believes has been “forgotten.”

Since the Taliban’s rule in 2021, female sports participation has effectively been prohibited in the nation.

More than 20 women’s cricket players from their country have already requested that they be allowed to play for the ICC as refugees.

In recent weeks, UK politicians have written to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to request that England’s men play against Afghanistan in Lahore, Pakistan, on February 26. The issue has attracted more attention because of the UK’s recent campaign.

As part of an exhibition match against a Cricket Without Borders XI on January 30 in Melbourne, Knight said the situation is “complex,” but she hopes to meet some Afghan players during the women’s Ashes series in Australia.

“I think it’s really good that it’s being talked about. Obviously, the situation in Afghanistan is heart-breaking”, Knight told BBC Sport before the opening game of the Ashes on Saturday (23: 30 GMT).

“It’s a complex issue, but I believe we should make those girls’ voices known because it’s a remarkable story that they’re actually here. They were able to escape a terrible circumstance.

In response to what the ECB described as “gender apartheid,” chief executive Richard Gould wrote to the world governing body to demand action.

He also called for Afghanistan’s funding to be withheld until women’s cricket is reinstated and support be given to Afghan women’s players.

Knight and others agreed that “the top of the game” needed to be changed and supported.

” It needs to come from the ICC and it needs to be a really clear message, “Knight added.

Because I’m not entirely sure that that will be the case, I know that cricket in Afghanistan has given people in the country and those who have fled the country a lot of hope.

Let’s celebrate that as much as we can by promoting the women’s team and the presence of a women’s Afghan team in Australia, though, I believe that is a really cool thing.

Australia has withdrawn from a number of men’s series against their country, but they played each other at the 2023 50-over World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup. Despite this, the ECB’s current policy states that they will not schedule bilateral matches against Afghanistan.

After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, an ICC working group met with Afghan government representatives and is eager to use its position and cricket to influence change there.

In a statement, the ICC stated that it was “continuing to work with our members and remains closely connected with the situation in Afghanistan.”

The Afghan Cricket Board (ACB) will play a role in promoting cricket development and ensuring playing opportunities for both men and women in Afghanistan, according to the governing body.

Players shouldn’t be punished for it because the ACB doesn’t have control over government policy, according to its stance.