Category News

The Afghanistan Cricket Board will not see any of its funding from the International Cricket Council cut or diverted to its exiled women’s cricketers.

An initiative to support the displaced Afghan players was announced by the ICC following its board meeting in Zimbabwe last weekend.

However, as reported by ESPN Cricinfo, cricket’s global governing body will not reduce or siphon off money earmarked for the ACB, even though part of the criteria for full membership of the ICC is to support women’s cricket.

The ICC will support the Afghan women through a separate funding mechanism, while the ACB will continue to receive a payment believed to be in the region of £13m per year.

All of that funding will go towards men’s cricket in Afghanistan, with women’s sport outlawed in the country since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

The ACB is the only full ICC member not to field a women’s team.

Instead, Afghanistan’s women’s cricketers will be funded by the ICC in conjunction with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Cricket Australia and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

An Afghanistan Women’s XI played an exhibition match in Melbourne in January and want to be recognised as a refugee team.

But the ICC is understood to have acknowledged that the prospect of Afghanistan’s women playing official international matches in the near future is a distant one as it would need to be sanctioned by the ACB.

Afghanistan’s women have been promised a robust high-performance programme offering “advanced coaching, world-class facilities and tailored mentorship” which the ICC hopes will “help them reach their full potential”.

Afghanistan’s men’s team have retained their Test status, reached the semi-finals of last year’s T20 World Cup and participated in the Champions Trophy earlier this year.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board will not see any of its funding from the International Cricket Council cut or diverted to its exiled women’s cricketers.

An initiative to support the displaced Afghan players was announced by the ICC following its board meeting in Zimbabwe last weekend.

However, as reported by ESPN Cricinfo, cricket’s global governing body will not reduce or siphon off money earmarked for the ACB, even though part of the criteria for full membership of the ICC is to support women’s cricket.

The ICC will support the Afghan women through a separate funding mechanism, while the ACB will continue to receive a payment believed to be in the region of £13m per year.

All of that funding will go towards men’s cricket in Afghanistan, with women’s sport outlawed in the country since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

The ACB is the only full ICC member not to field a women’s team.

Instead, Afghanistan’s women’s cricketers will be funded by the ICC in conjunction with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Cricket Australia and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

An Afghanistan Women’s XI played an exhibition match in Melbourne in January and want to be recognised as a refugee team.

But the ICC is understood to have acknowledged that the prospect of Afghanistan’s women playing official international matches in the near future is a distant one as it would need to be sanctioned by the ACB.

Afghanistan’s women have been promised a robust high-performance programme offering “advanced coaching, world-class facilities and tailored mentorship” which the ICC hopes will “help them reach their full potential”.

Afghanistan’s men’s team have retained their Test status, reached the semi-finals of last year’s T20 World Cup and participated in the Champions Trophy earlier this year.

Former Ireland fly-half Johnny Sexton will join Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions coaching team for this summer’s tour of Australia.

Sexton, who retired after the 2023 Rugby World Cup, played on two Lions tours in 2013 and 2017.

The five-time Six Nations winner has been working with Ireland in a casual coaching capacity since last November’s Autumn Nations Series and will take up a full-time position with the Irish Rugby Football Union from 1 August.

His new role with the IRFU will involve coaching the senior men’s team, while he will also work with various men’s and women’s age-grade sides.

“I am hugely excited to continue the next chapter in my coaching journey with the British and Irish Lions and I would like to thank Andy for this incredible opportunity,” said Sexton.

“It promises to be an exciting tour to Australia and I know from experience the challenges that awaits us.

“Playing for the Lions was a huge ambition of mine during my playing career and my memories of those Tours to Australia and New Zealand will stay with me forever.”

The British and Irish Lions will face Argentina in a send-off game in Dublin on 20 June before travelling to Australia.

Sexton, 39, started all three Tests of the Lions’ 2013 series win over Australia and a further two in the drawn series with New Zealand in 2017, but was overlooked for selection in 2021.

The 2018 world player of the year earned 118 Ireland caps and captained the team to a series win over the All Blacks in New Zealand in 2022 and the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2023.

“I coached Johnny for the very first time during the 2013 tour to Australia and the love that he had for the British and Irish Lions was reflected in how he operated on a daily basis,” said Farrell, who also coached Sexton with Ireland.

“His influence on that Lions team and that Series win, our only win in the last 24 years, cannot be underestimated.

Last month, Farrell added Richard Wigglesworth, Simon Easterby, John Dalziel, Andrew Goodman and John Fogarty to his coaching ticket.

Farrell described adding Sexton as a “significant coup”.

“It was clear from working together during the recent Autumn Nations Series that he has the talent and skillset to add to our coaching team with Ireland and I know how driven he is to add to the Lions, firstly this summer, and then on a full-time basis with Ireland later this year,” added Farrell.

IRFU performance director David Humphreys said he is “delighted” to have secured Sexton’s services on a long-term basis.

“I believe that he will play an important role in sharing his coaching insights with male and female players from the Age Grade system right up to the Ireland national teams,” said Humphreys.

“In formally welcoming Johnny to the IRFU I would also like to congratulate him on his selection with the British & Irish Lions.

Former Ireland fly-half Johnny Sexton will join Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions coaching team for this summer’s tour of Australia.

Sexton, who retired after the 2023 Rugby World Cup, played on two Lions tours in 2013 and 2017.

The five-time Six Nations winner has been working with Ireland in a casual coaching capacity since last November’s Autumn Nations Series and will take up a full-time position with the Irish Rugby Football Union from 1 August.

His new role with the IRFU will involve coaching the senior men’s team, while he will also work with various men’s and women’s age-grade sides.

“I am hugely excited to continue the next chapter in my coaching journey with the British and Irish Lions and I would like to thank Andy for this incredible opportunity,” said Sexton.

“It promises to be an exciting tour to Australia and I know from experience the challenges that awaits us.

“Playing for the Lions was a huge ambition of mine during my playing career and my memories of those Tours to Australia and New Zealand will stay with me forever.”

The British and Irish Lions will face Argentina in a send-off game in Dublin on 20 June before travelling to Australia.

Sexton, 39, started all three Tests of the Lions’ 2013 series win over Australia and a further two in the drawn series with New Zealand in 2017, but was overlooked for selection in 2021.

The 2018 world player of the year earned 118 Ireland caps and captained the team to a series win over the All Blacks in New Zealand in 2022 and the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2023.

“I coached Johnny for the very first time during the 2013 tour to Australia and the love that he had for the British and Irish Lions was reflected in how he operated on a daily basis,” said Farrell, who also coached Sexton with Ireland.

“His influence on that Lions team and that Series win, our only win in the last 24 years, cannot be underestimated.

Last month, Farrell added Richard Wigglesworth, Simon Easterby, John Dalziel, Andrew Goodman and John Fogarty to his coaching ticket.

Farrell described adding Sexton as a “significant coup”.

“It was clear from working together during the recent Autumn Nations Series that he has the talent and skillset to add to our coaching team with Ireland and I know how driven he is to add to the Lions, firstly this summer, and then on a full-time basis with Ireland later this year,” added Farrell.

IRFU performance director David Humphreys said he is “delighted” to have secured Sexton’s services on a long-term basis.

“I believe that he will play an important role in sharing his coaching insights with male and female players from the Age Grade system right up to the Ireland national teams,” said Humphreys.

“In formally welcoming Johnny to the IRFU I would also like to congratulate him on his selection with the British & Irish Lions.

Johnny Sexton, a former Ireland international, will coach for Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions during their summer tour of Australia.

Sexton retired from the Rugby World Cup in 2023 and participated in two Lions tours in 2013 and 2017.

The Irish Rugby Football Union will start the new year with a full-time position starting on August 1, after the five-time Six Nations champion worked with Ireland in a casual coaching capacity since last November’s Autumn Nations Series.

He will work with a variety of men’s and women’s age-grade teams while also coaching the senior men’s team.

Sexton expressed his excitement at the prospect of continuing my coaching career with the British and Irish Lions.

“I’m looking forward to an exciting tour to Australia, and I already know what challenges lie ahead.”

My greatest wish for my entire professional career was to play for the Lions, and I will always have fond memories of those Tours.

Before traveling to Australia, the British and Irish Lions will face Argentina in a send-off game in Dublin on June 20.

Sexton, 39, was omitted from 2021 after starting in the Lions’ 2013 series win over Australia and two more in the drawn series with New Zealand in 2017.

The 2018 world player of the year won 118 caps for Ireland and led the team to a series victory over the All Blacks in 2022 and the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2023.

The love Johnny had for the British and Irish Lions was reflected in how he operated on a daily basis during his first coaching session with the Irish Lions in 2013, according to Farrell, who also coached Sexton for Ireland.

His impact on that Lions team and that Series victory, our only victory in the previous 24 years, cannot be understated.

Richard Wigglesworth, Simon Easterby, John Dalziel, Andrew Goodman, and John Fogarty were all added to Farrell’s coaching roster last month.

Sexton was referred to as a “significant coup” by Farrell.

Working with him during the most recent Autumn Nations Series made it abundantly clear that he has the talent and skillset to join our Irish coaching staff, and I know how eager to add him to the Lions, first this summer, and then later this year, on a full-time basis with Ireland, Farrell said.

David Humphreys, the director of IRFU performance, expressed his satisfaction with the long-term partnership with Sexton.

He will have an important role to play in educating both male and female players from the age-grade system through to the Irish national teams, Humphreys said.

“I want to formally welcome Johnny to the Irish Lions and the British andamp; Irish Lions,” he continued.