Taliban ban women's sport amid fears that cricketers will expose their faces

[KingKhanWC]

The Taliban govt. at that time gave shelter to Osama bin Laden and didnt accept the demand of USA of handing him over to them. These deaths could have been avoided. So it was Taliban Govt. which invited it and America dont care when its out for revenge about innocent lives. And sooner or later it will be ICC that will take a tough stance on Afghan cricket as the rules have been made by them. And everyone knows the inveitable. So even if Aus didnt have taken this stance then also Afghan cricket would have faced a bleak future due to ICC's action.

Are you confused? The ICC will not stop Afghan mens team from playing. Aus has taken it upon themselves to boycott them.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

So still same narrative that west is bad but not a word against taliban. Do you realize how ridiculous it sounds?

Also what do you mean by who created Taliban? How does it matter? I can also say who supported Taliban the most? Its your Pakistani govt right?

But that is not the topic of dicussion here. West may have created taliban but they have have not asked them to cage their women and curb their freedom.

No one is pressurizing/bullying them here. Australian cricket board simply dont want to play cricket against a nation that shackles their women. It is a right stand but obviously you are just too ideologically biased to see it.

Just hope that western teams continue to travel to Pakistan for cricket and dont get boycotted like Afghanistan. But if this support for Taliban continues from Pakistani establishment, not sure how long it will last. So enjoy as long as it does my friend.

Wow you're really ignorant about history aren't you? If you can't see the root cause of why Afghanistan is the way that it is today than you really need to hit the history books.

And it is because of this very ignorance that you seem unable to grasp the fact that the Taliban have always been like this. It doesn't excuse their behavior in any way but who signed a deal with them and put them in power? Did the West not know this would happen? They did. And they didn't care then and they certainly don't care now.

You also live in an utterly deluded fantasy world if you think Pakistan are going to be affected by this, or their support of the Taliban in any way. If anything, pretty soon Russia, China, Iran and other member states will be their close allies too. It was inevitable after the US gave them de-facto legitimacy. Heck, even India is opening up talks with the Taliban. So what are you even on about?

At most Afghanistan will be sanctioned economically the same way that Cuba is. But do you really think even that will cause these hardline extremists to change their ways?

I also find it funny and convenient that you ignored everything I said about actually involving Afghan women, who are the actual focal point of all this. All you are interested in are empty statements and publicity stunts that accomplish nothing for the women cricketers of Afghanistan. And based on your grasp of history, I can't say I am surprised that THAT is what resonates with you most.

 

[Abu_Hamza]

Are you confused? The ICC will not stop Afghan mens team from playing. Aus has taken it upon themselves to boycott them.

ICC will take back their full member status. Isnt it enough as they wont get to play bigger teams now and will only get it back when their women's team is allowed till then they will have to play with mostly associate teams.

 

[KingKhanWC]

ICC will take back their full member status. Isnt it enough as they wont get to play bigger teams now and will only get it back when their women's team is allowed till then they will have to play with mostly associate teams.

ICC gave Afghan full member status in 2017 with no womens team. Afghanistan will also play in the T20 world world cup, which is huge for them. Ausssies should have waited instead of playing moral guardians when they bombed countless women in the last 20 years.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Its pathetic after 20 years of brutality Australians have the gaul to dictate morality to anyone!

Dont believe a word from Austalians, this is just a way for them not to play Afghan men because they think their people are superiour.

People should use some common sense. A nation so worried about womens cricket, wouldnt then stop playing with men who also come from the same country, knowing this will only harm them.

Let's not even forget Australia is one of the most racist nations on the planet. A country built by white settler convicts after committing the genocide of its indigenous inhabitants.

I don't believe a word they say, and I look down on their pathetic little publicity stunts, which they do to make each other feel good about themselves. Because deep down they know there's nothing they can do that will wipe away their shameful, racist past and present of exploitation and murder.

Remember when they introduced special T20 kits last year to pay respect to the indigenous people? That for me was really the absolute peak of them being sanctimonious.

However he biggest question that none of Australia's supporters are avoiding here is why didn't they even try to contact or get in touch with Afghan women cricketers?

 

[sharmaji]

1. Even though it was expected, the plight of Afghan Women is hard to watch. I feel sorry for them.
2. Also sad that the men's cricket in Afghanistan will suffer. They had come so far, made so much progress.
3. Strange that so many posters here are supporting Taliban or blaming Australia/West more than Taliban.
4. Since Pakistan supports the Taliban, maybe Imran Khan could talk some sense to the Taliban leadership.
5. Being an optimistic, I hope that once the turmoil settles, and Taliban feel secure about their legitimacy, they will slowly allow Afghan women to live freely (and play cricket!).
6. Till that happens, I am in favour of other cricket nations boycotting Afghanistan. Taliban needs to know that they may have captured power, but to gain acceptance in the international world (at least cricket), they have to adhere to universally accepted basic human rights.

 

[Rajdeep]

Wow you're really ignorant about history aren't you? If you can't see the root cause of why Afghanistan is the way that it is today than you really need to hit the history books.

And it is because of this very ignorance that you seem unable to grasp the fact that the Taliban have always been like this. It doesn't excuse their behavior in any way but who signed a deal with them and put them in power? Did the West not know this would happen? They did. And they didn't care then and they certainly don't care now.

You also live in an utterly deluded fantasy world if you think Pakistan are going to be affected by this, or their support of the Taliban in any way. If anything, pretty soon Russia, China, Iran and other member states will be their close allies too. It was inevitable after the US gave them de-facto legitimacy. Heck, even India is opening up talks with the Taliban. So what are you even on about?

At most Afghanistan will be sanctioned economically the same way that Cuba is. But do you really think even that will cause these hardline extremists to change their ways?

I also find it funny and convenient that you ignored everything I said about actually involving Afghan women, who are the actual focal point of all this. All you are interested in are empty statements and publicity stunts that accomplish nothing for the women cricketers of Afghanistan. And based on your grasp of history, I can't say I am surprised that THAT is what resonates with you most.

If Taliban has always been like this and their behaviour cant be excused, why then your PM supported the Taliban regime? Didnt he say something on the line of broken the shackles of slavery or something? You are very quick to jump to history and blame USA but then you should also blame your own govt for supporting a regime whose behaviour cant be excused (in your own words).

Anyway, dont want to drag politics here as moderators have clearly stated to stick to cricket. But if you read this thread.... posters from every nation, including hardcore Pak cricket supporters like [MENTION=132916]Junaids[/MENTION] supported the Aussies here. So that should give you clue. There should be no cricket with a nation that openly discriminates against women. I like Afg cricket....infact Rashid Khan is one of my favourite cricketer but cant support playing cricket against a nation that is under Taliban regime.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

1. Even though it was expected, the plight of Afghan Women is hard to watch. I feel sorry for them.
2. Also sad that the men's cricket in Afghanistan will suffer. They had come so far, made so much progress.
3. Strange that so many posters here are supporting Taliban or blaming Australia/West more than Taliban.
4. Since Pakistan supports the Taliban, maybe Imran Khan could talk some sense to the Taliban leadership.
5. Being an optimistic, I hope that once the turmoil settles, and Taliban feel secure about their legitimacy, they will slowly allow Afghan women to live freely (and play cricket!).
6. Till that happens, I am in favour of other cricket nations boycotting Afghanistan. Taliban needs to know that they may have captured power, but to gain acceptance in the international world (at least cricket), they have to adhere to universally accepted basic human rights.

I agree with the principle of your argument. Human rights should always be valued the most. But if human rights is what you are basing your argument on and you are connecting it with sport than shouldn't other countries be held to the same standard?

Should the Australian cricket team not be banned for the war crimes their soldiers committed in Afghanistan?

Should the Indian cricket team not be banned for the murder and rape that Indian security forces commit in Kashmir?

Should the Sri Lankan cricket team not be banned for the murder of Tamils that has and continues to take place in many parts of the country?

Should the Pakistan cricket team not be banned for the excesses that the security forces commit in Balochistan?


The problem with applying an argument like this is that if you do, it has to be uniform. You can't simply pick and choose.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

If Taliban has always been like this and their behaviour cant be excused, why then your PM supported the Taliban regime? Didnt he say something on the line of broken the shackles of slavery or something? You are very quick to jump to history and blame USA but then you should also blame your own govt for supporting a regime whose behaviour cant be excused (in your own words).

Anyway, dont want to drag politics here as moderators have clearly stated to stick to cricket. But if you read this thread.... posters from every nation, including hardcore Pak cricket supporters like [MENTION=132916]Junaids[/MENTION] supported the Aussies here. So that should give you clue. There should be no cricket with a nation that openly discriminates against women. I like Afg cricket....infact Rashid Khan is one of my favourite cricketer but cant support playing cricket against a nation that is under Taliban regime.

What Imran Khan said was utterly stupid and showcased his own right-wing mindet. But atleast he didn't, oh I dunno, invade Afghanistan and kill millions of its inhabitants for over 20 years?

The Taliban are terrorists but they are nothing and I mean NOTHING compared to the biggest terrorist state on the planet: the USA. And the way you are justifying their actions is frankly pathetic. No country in the world has caused as much death, destruction and chaos as the US, enabled by their western partners. Ever read a Noam Chomsky book, bro?

And don't bring politics into it if you don't have the knowledge to argue over it. I could care less what others have to say regarding this so don't quote me other peoples opinions.


Ultimately the fact of the matter remains the same. I'll put it in caps so you don't have trouble reading this time.

WHY DIDN'T THE AUSSIES TRY TO CONTACT OR GET IN TOUCH WITH THE WOMEN CRICKETERS OF AFGHANISTAN? SINCE YOU KNOW, THIS WHOLE THING IS ABOUT THEIR FUTURE, AND NOT AUSTRALIA'S?

 

[OldWarHorse]

Why are people blaming ACB here and calling Australian govt misogynist?

Looks like most here are still not ready to blame Taliban for caging women in 21st century but somehow finding Australian govt extremist.

Australian govt extremist for what? For refusing to play cricket against a country that deprives women of their freedom?

I am a big supporter of Afghan cricket and always supported their progress. BCCI themselves helped Afghan cricket a lot. But I hope no more help/bilateral cricket as long as Taliban rules there.

ACB is the Afghan Cricket Board no? I think he was calling the Taliban as Misogynists

 

[Ab Fan]

Hard to understand how can people defend Taliban here? Instead of blaming them for not allowing women cricket due to such narrow mindset in the 21st century, what people are doing here is going into history and criticising Australians for that.

This is a positive step taken by Australian board and this should force Afghan board to allow women cricket but all the talk is about what X did to Y in history and why didn't they cared about it then?

 

[anikrc1]

I agree with the principle of your argument. Human rights should always be valued the most. But if human rights is what you are basing your argument on and you are connecting it with sport than shouldn't other countries be held to the same standard?

Should the Australian cricket team not be banned for the war crimes their soldiers committed in Afghanistan?

Should the Indian cricket team not be banned for the murder and rape that Indian security forces commit in Kashmir?

Should the Sri Lankan cricket team not be banned for the murder of Tamils that has and continues to take place in many parts of the country?

Should the Pakistan cricket team not be banned for the excesses that the security forces commit in Balochistan?


The problem with applying an argument like this is that if you do, it has to be uniform. You can't simply pick and choose.

it's simple really. None of your examples have anything to do with crickeet,and hence not comparable. it's icc policy that to be a full member you need a women's team.

 

[Last Monetarist]

I keep vacillating on my view of what's the right approach here, but ultimately the answer I can't quite square is whether it's worth killing off cricket in Afghanistan for a token gesture.

Maybe it is.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

it's simple really. None of your examples have anything to do with crickeet,and hence not comparable. it's icc policy that to be a full member you need a women's team.

Fair enough. I accept that argument.

His wording was quite poor and all over the place and left me confused.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Ultimately its Afghan women who are the losers in all of this. Genuinely feel for them. They don't deserve to have their dreams destroyed like this.

Because at the end of the day Australia couldn't care less about them and will move on to another publicity stunt when the situation presents itself. Just like they moved on from their last publicity stunt which was creating a kit to honor the very indigenous people their ancestors murdered and wiped off the face of the earth.

The Taliban will go back to ruling Afghanistan with an iron-fist. And their despotic regime will commit wide-ranging human rights violations because at the end of the day they are terrorists, which ever way you spin it.

But Afghan women, who are being used like political football here. They are the only ones whose future really stands to be affected by this. And what's sad is that not only is no one considering what they have to say, but people who have no right to decide what they can or can do, are acting as their supposed guardians.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Just another PR stunt by CA for boosting their image like Elite Honesty or the Hard Way nonsense etc etc.

They don't really care about Afg cricket, would still accept their cricketers in BBL by getting Rashid, Nabi, Mujeeb as notable names.

They weren't going to get any profit from a Test match against Afg, so they just decided not to play them. Money is the only thing CA understands.

Not playing the men's team is only bad for men's team of Afg as they are being deprived of international cricket.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Ultimately its Afghan women who are the losers in all of this. Genuinely feel for them. They don't deserve to have their dreams destroyed like this.

Because at the end of the day Australia couldn't care less about them and will move on to another publicity stunt when the situation presents itself. Just like they moved on from their last publicity stunt which was creating a kit to honor the very indigenous people their ancestors murdered and wiped off the face of the earth.

The Taliban will go back to ruling Afghanistan with an iron-fist. And their despotic regime will commit wide-ranging human rights violations because at the end of the day they are terrorists, which ever way you spin it.

But Afghan women, who are being used like political football here. They are the only ones whose future really stands to be affected by this. And what's sad is that not only is no one considering what they have to say, but people who have no right to decide what they can or can do, are acting as their supposed guardians.

Afg men cricketers are also going to suffer as apart from 4-5 names, not everyone can get picked to play in t20 tournaments.

 

[dildilpak]

On a side note, what does this mean for Afghanistan’s participation in the T20 WC?

 

[Buffet]

I keep vacillating on my view of what's the right approach here, but ultimately the answer I can't quite square is whether it's worth killing off cricket in Afghanistan for a token gesture.

Maybe it is.

It is actually hard as cricket fans, but if you take a bigger view then all countries can either support stone age practices or oppose them. Most people supporting savages won't like their daughters to live under those conditions so you can safely ignore such voices.

Imagine all men in Pakistan have to stop playing cricket because women Taliban is ruling Pakistan. Male-dominated stone age practices make it sometimes hard to see the situation clearly, but these token gestures do signify that stone-age practices are not accepted by the civilized world. I just read somewhere that the Taliban education minister saying that education degrees do not matter because uneducated folks are ruling the country now. Now many in PP may start defending that as well, but as I said you can safely ignore such voices.

 

[JaDed]

Should ICC change the rules for Afghanistan?

 

[Rana]

Just another PR stunt by CA for boosting their image like Elite Honesty or the Hard Way nonsense etc etc.

They don't really care about Afg cricket, would still accept their cricketers in BBL by getting Rashid, Nabi, Mujeeb as notable names.

They weren't going to get any profit from a Test match against Afg, so they just decided not to play them. Money is the only thing CA understands.

Not playing the men's team is only bad for men's team of Afg as they are being deprived of international cricket.

They are making a massive financial loss even with this one Test against Afghanistan, this is the perfect excuse to cancel and not look bad.

CA will one day reap what they sow

 

[giri26]

People are completely missing the point here. This is not about your like or dislike for Women's cricket. If you don't like you don't watch but this is bigger than that. We are in the 21st century and in this day and age to deny freedom to women is something which needs to be stood up against. It's about the rights and I welcome any cricket board who refuse to play against Afghanistan. I hope ICC strip the Test status from them and I hope BCCI bans Afghanistan players from IPL as well.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

They are making a massive financial loss even with this one Test against Afghanistan, this is the perfect excuse to cancel and not look bad.

CA will one day reap what they sow

They're just jumping on every opportunity since sandpapergate to change that perception by showing a holier-than-thou attitude.

 

[ExplicitAI]

If the PCB is smart, they will look to integrate the Afghanistan players in Pakistan Domestic Cricket and get them to play for Pakistan Internationally

Yeah... I don't think that integrating players from a country who has been at war with Punjabis for centuries would suddenly have a change of heart and drop the racism all together. I think we are at a time period where the everyday Pakistani knows how some Afghans feel about them.

 

[JattMaula]

What Imran Khan said was utterly stupid and showcased his own right-wing mindet. But atleast he didn't, oh I dunno, invade Afghanistan and kill millions of its inhabitants for over 20 years?

The Taliban are terrorists but they are nothing and I mean NOTHING compared to the biggest terrorist state on the planet: the USA. And the way you are justifying their actions is frankly pathetic. No country in the world has caused as much death, destruction and chaos as the US, enabled by their western partners. Ever read a Noam Chomsky book, bro?

And don't bring politics into it if you don't have the knowledge to argue over it. I could care less what others have to say regarding this so don't quote me other peoples opinions.


Ultimately the fact of the matter remains the same. I'll put it in caps so you don't have trouble reading this time.

WHY DIDN'T THE AUSSIES TRY TO CONTACT OR GET IN TOUCH WITH THE WOMEN CRICKETERS OF AFGHANISTAN? SINCE YOU KNOW, THIS WHOLE THING IS ABOUT THEIR FUTURE, AND NOT AUSTRALIA'S?

I read that Afgan women sportspersons are in hiding. May be difficult to consult them on record. I may be misled by Western media so please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Afzal_K]

If the PCB is smart, they will look to integrate the Afghanistan players in Pakistan Domestic Cricket and get them to play for Pakistan Internationally

They would rather die than that do that

 

[sweep_shot]

If ICC doesn't ban Afghanistan men's team, what's the issue with Australia?

ICC should give the points to Afghanistan if Australia doesn't want to play Afghanistan.

 

[Balthazar]

Good decision by Australia. I don't see the current Indian government committing to values such as equality and women rights.

 

[Mesozoic]

If ICC doesn't ban Afghanistan men's team, what's the issue with Australia?

ICC should give the points to Afghanistan if Australia doesn't want to play Afghanistan.

What points?

 

[Joseph Gomes]

I do feel sorry for the men's team, but Afghanistan is not worthy of playing cricket. Whatever is in association with Afghanistan and Taliban should be boycotted by default.

ICC should revoke their status as an international team.

 

[giri26]

I read that Afgan women sportspersons are in hiding. May be difficult to consult them on record. I may be misled by Western media so please correct me if I'm wrong.

I read the same. It is not only cricket team but any women who held a power of authority prior to Taliban take over are in the hiding as per reports. Really sad and poor. What age are we living in?

 

[giri26]

I read the same. It is not only cricket team but any women who held a power of authority prior to Taliban take over are in the hiding as per reports. Really sad and poor. What age are we living in?

South Africa lost 20 years of international cricket due to apartheid laws, so it is okay for cricketing nations to take a stand as well against this discrimination. South Africa was a strong cricketing nation when they were banned. Sad for Afghan men's team as they hadn't done anything wrong but again it was the same with the SA cricket team of 60's and 70's as well.

 

[Junaids]

My opinion on this is starting to change.

In the last 24 hours I have arrived at the conclusion that renewed Taliban rule of Afghanistan is the single biggest threat to Pakistan's status as a member of the international cricket community.

It's irrelevant but also damaging for people to say "well the USA did this" or "Australia does that".

The issue is really simple.

International cricket is controlled by the Big Three. Two of those countries - England and Australia - like me view the Taliban as savage animals, and view anyone who is not the enemy of the Taliban as their enemy.

The third Big Three nation is India, and under BJP rule they will take any opportunity to ostracise and isolate Pakistan as a cricketing nation. I'm not defending that, it's just a fact.

Pakistan has a major cricketing problem here. Everyone knows that the Taliban has had government of Pakistan patronage for decades and ISI support in particular. It's not even a badly kept secret - it's a universally recognised fact.

But the PM of Pakistan is Imran Khan. The man who outside Pakistan is viewed as being the embodiment of Pakistan cricket.

I remember when the late Dean Jones made an ignorant joke that he thought was hilarious, comparing the appearance of Hashim Amla to a terrorist. But the thing is, appearances count with the semi-informed people overseas who will decide Pakistan's cricketing fate.

To give a silly but accurate example, consider Misbah-ul-Haq. For the first five years of his captaincy he was viewed overseas as the clean-cut, educated captain of Pakistan, a sort of successor to Jinnah.

But the Misbah who travelled overseas as Pakistan coach looked to western people the same as a Taliban politician would. I didn't like him because of what he was doing as coach and selector, but my friends in England and Australia were unsettled by his appearance and no longer was he a welcome guest in their living rooms.

My father-in-law was a conscripted soldier in the French Army in Algeria. Thirty years later, his wife persuaded him to go on a beach holiday to Tunisia. He spent the fortnight having nightmares, every face reminded him of the people who would spring out in the Casbah thirty years earlier and try to stab him.

Pakistan cricket is actually in a lot of trouble now with the Taliban restored to power. In Australia, England and New Zealand, the nation of Pakistan is largely blamed for what has just happened. Imran Khan is now widely viewed as untrustworthy in terms of the Taliban, and every time someone like Shahid Afridi makes a stupid comment there is damage to Pakistan's ongoing participation in world cricket.

It's a very delicate situation. I apologise if I have offended anyone, but a Pakistani audience probably needed to hear these thoughts.

 

[Last Monetarist]

It is actually hard as cricket fans, but if you take a bigger view then all countries can either support stone age practices or oppose them. Most people supporting savages won't like their daughters to live under those conditions so you can safely ignore such voices.

Imagine all men in Pakistan have to stop playing cricket because women Taliban is ruling Pakistan. Male-dominated stone age practices make it sometimes hard to see the situation clearly, but these token gestures do signify that stone-age practices are not accepted by the civilized world. I just read somewhere that the Taliban education minister saying that education degrees do not matter because uneducated folks are ruling the country now. Now many in PP may start defending that as well, but as I said you can safely ignore such voices.

If the token gesture would force eventual change or allow the proponents of stone age practices to slowly embrace civilized views, I'd be all for it.

In this case, however, short of another regime change (and we all know how the last one went), there are no gestures or solidarity statements that will change the lot of women cricketers in Afghanistan. All that we will achieve is kill the sport in the long-run in Afghanistan.

I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but the apartheid movement was successful in large part because Afrikaaner and white South African culture actively promoted and reinforced the concept of sporting success as evidence of a high-functioning society. That factor is not at play at all for the Taliban.

 

[Abu_Hamza]

ICC gave Afghan full member status in 2017 with no womens team. Afghanistan will also play in the T20 world world cup, which is huge for them. Ausssies should have waited instead of playing moral guardians when they bombed countless women in the last 20 years.

ICC gave Afghan a full member status as it was assured of them having a women's team too. But now things have changed as their women's team is not allowed to play. So, afghan team is set to lose the full member status after T20 world. Australia making the first move of boycotting Afghan team doesnt influence it as its ICC's own rule.

 

[SM1989]

People are completely missing the point here. This is not about your like or dislike for Women's cricket. If you don't like you don't watch but this is bigger than that. We are in the 21st century and in this day and age to deny freedom to women is something which needs to be stood up against. It's about the rights and I welcome any cricket board who refuse to play against Afghanistan. I hope ICC strip the Test status from them and I hope BCCI bans Afghanistan players from IPL as well.

"We are in the 21st century" argument - This is one of the most morally decadent times we are living in. Australian soldiers were killing people in Afghanistan for sport and committing war crimes. Maybe the ICC should kick out Australia and England from within its ranks and stop other members from playing against them. Lets have some consistency here!

 

[GLORY OF '92]

Tbh not a fan of women's cricket or sport really. Mostly it is club level at best. Lot of fuss over nothing.

 

[Abu_Hamza]

This arguement that Aus and USA did a genocide isnt going to be bought by ICC and most cricketing boards. They arent a political entity. They are for playing cricket and for looking after it. If a country doesnt fulfill the criteria laid by ICC then the concerned country will face the consequences. There is a strong possibility that even if Afghan men's team is not banned rather demoted to associate member, then too most of the cricketing boards wont play them and eventually it wont help the development of Afghan cricket team and leaving them like Zimbawe.

 

[sweep_shot]

Tbh not a fan of women's cricket or sport really. Mostly it is club level at best. Lot of fuss over nothing.

I agree with you.

Women's cricket should not affect men's cricket. Two are not related.

Also, Afghanistan women's team barely play any real cricket. They do not make it to World Cup or any relevant tournament.

 

[sweep_shot]

What points?

Ranking points.

If Afghanistan is not banned by ICC and Australia refuses to play, give ranking points to Afghanistan.

 

[street cricketer]

A few things.

It is compulsory for a nation to have a functioning women's team for it to receive test status. It is not the only criterion but it's just one among the many criteria like having a domestic competition, the ability to host test matches in its home, etc., which are required for a team to receive test status. Now Afghanistan had a women's team till 2014, but it was disbanded afterwards due to threats. Afghanistan got test status granted in 2017 on the provision that they'll continue to develop a women's team in the future. But this is not only due to the Taliban. The ACB when Afghanistan was under Ghani didn't take any concrete steps to develop their women's team. I'm aware that they awarded contracts last year but this isn't something new. These things have happened in the past but women's cricket has never been developed even during the reign of the past regime. Just read the views of people who follow associate cricket very closely like Bertus De Jong or Peter Della Penna to get a view on what has happened in Afghanistan cricket over the years.

Afghanistan neither has a women's team nor is able to host test matches in its home like Ireland does. But it was granted test status in spite of that on the belief that conditions would get better in the nation and they'll develop the women's game in their country. You could say the ICC was choosing to look the other way because Afghanistan was showing so much promise in its cricket and decided to give them leeway on the rules. But with the Taliban categorically declaring that they will not allow women to play sports, I'm not sure Afghanistan's test status will remain secure after the next ICC meeting. Remember Zimbabwe got its test status revoked a few months back because of government interference. Australia resettled the members of Afghanistan's women's football team recently. I read reports of Afghanistan's women's cricket team members left feeling helpless as the ICC didn't reply to their emails on asking help for resettlement outside the country. In this scenario, I'm sure the Tasmanian premier would get ripped apart by his opposition party if he allows hosting the Afghanistani test team given their regime's views on women's rights.

Yes, the Afghanistan men's team is the loser in this scenario and is such a sad state of affairs. But I'm not sure if the ICC will choose to look away anymore as the Taliban have made their views clear. What can happen is that the ICC will revoke the test status but allow it to continue as an associate nation and there's a clause for religious and cultural reasons which can be given as a reason for allowing the Afghanistan men's team to play LOI matches. The South African team wasn't full of racists either but they had to be banned for 20 years when the Apartheid happened, even if wonderful players like Barry Richards never got to play test cricket much. It's sad but that's going to be probably the case for Afghanistan too, at least until the Taliban regime is in power.

 

[Forward Defensive Push]

Fact - Whether one likes it or not, it was clear that Afghanistan was going to become a pariah state under Taliban. They won't have the support or goodwill anymore. It's unfortunate but that is how things work.

 

[SangasCoverDrive]

Afghanistan should have never been awarded full member status in the first place

 

[OMB]

Cricket Australia unmoved on Test despite plea by Afghanistan

The future of Australia’s historic Test against Afghanistan remains bleak despite claims by cricket authorities in that country they are still planning for women to take part in the sport.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board has made an impassioned plea with CA for the game to go ahead, saying it feared a cancellation would set a precedent for other boards that could have dire consequences for the game in the country.

The International Cricket Council is set to call a board meeting to take place in the next fortnight or so to discuss Afghanistan’s playing future, in a development which leaves the nation’s position in the T20 World Cup in peril.

CA this week declared it “would have no alternative” but to scrap Australia’s Test against Afghanistan if the Taliban’s made true its claims to not allow women to play cricket because it was “not necessary”.

CA, which has not officially cancelled the game, wants the Afghanistan board to show evidence it is supporting women’s cricket in order for the Test to go ahead in Hobart in November.

In comments that appear to contradict the deputy head of the Taliban’s cultural commission, the ACB said it was looking at how women could play the game.

“We will give you our clear position on how we will allow women to play cricket,” ACB chairman Azizullah Fazli told SBS Radio Pashto. “Very soon, we will give you good news on how we will proceed.”

Describing CA’s response as a “knee-jerk reaction”, the ACB is urging Australia to adopt the “considered, balanced, cricket diplomacy” used by the ICC, which it says has been more sensitive to the country’s cultural and religious environment.

The ACB said it was “powerless” to change Afghanistan’s cultural and religious environment, and the cancellation of the Test would not have any impact either.

The board also said the comments made by the Taliban regarding female participation in cricket were not “substantially different” to the position held by the ACB during the democratically elected Karzai and Ghani governments in the past 20 years.

“We are concerned that, if other countries’ cricket administrators follow CA, then Afghan cricket will be alienated from the cricket world, the development of cricket in our country will be stalled and, even more concerning, cricket may cease to exist in Afghanistan,” ACB chief Hamid Shinwari said.

CA, whose chief Nick Hockley is in regular contact with his Afghanistan counterpart, wants to see a commitment from the ACB to the women’s game.

“We made our position very clear in the statement and remain in regular dialogue with our colleagues at the ACB,” CA said in a statement on Saturday.

Afghanistan’s status as a full member of the ICC will be discussed at the next board meeting of game’s global governing body. This had been scheduled to take place in person during the T20 World Cup in November but will be brought forward as a virtual conference, according to a source familiar with the issue.

A 2/3 majority of the 17-person board is required for action to be taken against Afghanistan, who face being turfed out of the T20 World Cup if it is suspended and not allowed to play international cricket. CA chairman Earl Eddings is Australia’s representative on the board.

The complexity of global politics makes it difficult to predict what stance nations will take.

It would be easier for the ICC board to argue for suspending the ACB on grounds of government interference - as was the case with Nepal in 2016, and Zimbabwe in 2019 - over human rights issues. For example, homosexuality is outlawed in Test nations Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Australia captain Tim Paine has foreshadowed players around the world discussing the boycotting of games against Afghanistan if they were allowed to keep playing. Australia, however, has been drawn in a different group to Afghanistan at the T20 World Cup and cannot meet until the semi-finals on the improbable chance both nations advanced that far.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/ca-unmoved-on-test-despite-plea-by-afghanistan-20210911-p58qru.html

 

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD - International cricketers should support Afghanistan's men's team, not punish them by boycotting matches if the Taliban bars women from playing, the former director of the women's side said.

Tuba Sangar, who fled the country for Canada shortly after the fall of the country to the hardline Islamist group, warned that sports sanctions would damage the game at the grassroots -- including for women and girls.

"It's not a good idea to boycott the male team. They did a lot for Afghanistan -- they introduced Afghanistan to the world in a positive way," Sangar told AFP on Tuesday.

"If we don't have a male team any more, there would be no hope for cricket overall," said the 28-year-old, who was the director of women's cricket at the Afghanistan Cricket Board from 2014-2020.

Australia's cricket chiefs threatened to cancel a historic maiden Test between the two countries -- set to take place in November -- after a senior Taliban official went on television to say it was "not necessary" for women to play.

During their first stint in power, before being ousted in 2001, the Taliban banned most forms of entertainment -- including many sports -- and stadiums were used as public execution venues.

Women were completely banned from playing sport.

But the sport has become immensely popular over the past few decades, largely as a result of cricket-mad Pakistan across the border.

This time round, the hardline Islamists have shown they do not mind men playing cricket, pulling together a match in the capital Kabul shortly after foreign forces withdrew.

But on Tuesday, Bashir Ahmad Rustamzai, Afghanistan's new director general for sports, declined to answer as to whether women will be allowed to play sports -- deferring it for top level Taliban leaders to decide.

- Team in exile -

The takeover has called into question the future of Afghanistan's participation in Test matches, as under International Cricket Council regulations, nations must also have an active women's team.

The Afghan men's team is also scheduled to play the T20 World Cup from October 17 to November 14 in the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) last week urged Australia not to punish its men's team, saying it was "powerless to change the culture and religious environment of Afghanistan".

ACB chairman Azizullah Fazli later told SBS Radio Pashto that he is still hopeful women will be able to play.

He said that all 25 of the women's team had chosen to remain in Afghanistan, although a BBC report earlier this month reported members were in hiding.

"When I play I feel like a strong woman. I can imagine myself as a woman who can do anything, who can make her dreams come true," one ex-player told the BBC.

But Sangar said the Taliban takeover had "killed the hope" of female cricketers to finally be able to play internationally.

"From 2014 to now, we didn't have the opportunity to play at an international level but there was the hope, everybody was trying their best to make it happen," she said.

"There are some girls that are very talented, and they hoped that one day they would have their flag on their shoulders and show the world that Afghan women can play cricket."

The men's team now rank in the world's top 10 for both one-day internationals and Twenty20 games.

Sangar said cricketing nations could support Afghanistan's female players by backing a team in exile.

"We can play from third countries," she said, noting that Afghanistan's football team had played while based abroad.

"It will bring some hope to those who remain in Afghanistan," she said.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/sports/...ens-cricket-former-afghan-womens-chief-pleads

 

[ExpressPacer]

I dont understand why people are criticising Australia for doing what every other nation should be doing. Denying women the opportunity to play competitive sport in 2021 is like denying women the right to vote in the 1960s.

 

[YousafTheBeast]

I dont understand why people are criticising Australia for doing what every other nation should be doing. Denying women the opportunity to play competitive sport in 2021 is like denying women the right to vote in the 1960s.

Women still can’t vote in the Vatican City, so…


Why doesn’t Australia or any other country allow female cricket umpires? We see men and women umpiring in the women’s game but ONLY male umpires in the men’s game…hmm

There’s a lot of restrictions on women in the western world that usually gets ignored, so before people have a go at the Taliban let’s focus on our own problems first.

 

[SangasCoverDrive]

Women still can’t vote in the Vatican City, so…


Why doesn’t Australia or any other country allow female cricket umpires? We see men and women umpiring in the women’s game but ONLY male umpires in the men’s game…hmm

There’s a lot of restrictions on women in the western world that usually gets ignored, so before people have a go at the Taliban let’s focus on our own problems first.

There was a female umpire in one of Australia vs Ind tests and now there are plenty of women’s cricketers and as of now Vatican City does not have a cricket team so it’s useless

 

[YousafTheBeast]

There was a female umpire in one of Australia vs Ind tests and now there are plenty of women’s cricketers and as of now Vatican City does not have a cricket team so it’s useless

No one talked about Vatican City having a cricket team, lol.

Why is there no F1 racing for women? Why can’t women go shirtless in public?

We’re talking about restrictions that are placed on Afghan women but forget the restrictions that women in the west face.

Yes, Afghan women should be allowed to play cricket, but if the law of their land says no then who are we to say it’s wrong?

It’s only this year that Russia allowed female train drivers, bet you’ve never heard about that before 2021.

 

[JattMaula]

No one talked about Vatican City having a cricket team, lol.

Why is there no F1 racing for women? Why can’t women go shirtless in public?

We’re talking about restrictions that are placed on Afghan women but forget the restrictions that women in the west face.

Yes, Afghan women should be allowed to play cricket, but if the law of their land says no then who are we to say it’s wrong?

It’s only this year that Russia allowed female train drivers, bet you’ve never heard about that before 2021.

F1 is open to all genders. There will be women drivers in F1.

I hadn't heard about there being ban in Russia about women train drivers. Good on them to rectify that. Now Russia can participate in world train driver cup.

Law of the land does matter. But icc too has a constitution. Talibs will follow their law and icc will follow their.

 

[OMB]

No one talked about Vatican City having a cricket team, lol.

Why is there no F1 racing for women? Why can’t women go shirtless in public?

We’re talking about restrictions that are placed on Afghan women but forget the restrictions that women in the west face.

Yes, Afghan women should be allowed to play cricket, but if the law of their land says no then who are we to say it’s wrong?

It’s only this year that Russia allowed female train drivers, bet you’ve never heard about that before 2021.

Bro - I am trying to convince myself to agree with you but it is not working out. Maybe your analogies are not accurate.

Russia and female train drivers ? and then you pointed out that Russia has allowed them. Who says Russia is gold standard and to be followed anyway as their sports itself is tainted.

Going shirtless is due to underage people in the crowd and a nuisance generally. Women playing cricket is not a nuisance.

and it is that law of the land that is being criticized as it deprives 50% of the population. With enough voices against arcane laws of Taliban, maybe they will be pressured to uphold their promise to govern better.

 

[YousafTheBeast]

F1 is open to all genders. There will be women drivers in F1.

I hadn't heard about there being ban in Russia about women train drivers. Good on them to rectify that. Now Russia can participate in world train driver cup.

Law of the land does matter. But icc too has a constitution. Talibs will follow their law and icc will follow their.

Sure, F1 is open to all genders, but that still doesn’t answer my question, why isn’t there a female F1 racing competition? In a population of 7 billion people, can’t we find 20 female racers?

Yup, it took them up to 2021 to allow female train drivers, and people expect the Taliban to give equal rights to Afghan women in a couple of months.

Bro - I am trying to convince myself to agree with you but it is not working out. Maybe your analogies are not accurate.

Russia and female train drivers ? and then you pointed out that Russia has allowed them. Who says Russia is gold standard and to be followed anyway as their sports itself is tainted.

Going shirtless is due to underage people in the crowd and a nuisance generally. Women playing cricket is not a nuisance.

and it is that law of the land that is being criticized as it deprives 50% of the population. With enough voices against arcane laws of Taliban, maybe they will be pressured to uphold their promise to govern better.

Yup, my point being it took up to 2021 to finally allow female train drivers in Russia, maybe we should give the Taliban 10-20 years too, maybe they’ll become more lenient.

So which countries are gold standard and should be followed? UK? Is there a females honours board up in lords? (Idk)

How many female ICC elite umpires are there?

How many female MCC members?

Female cricketers may not be a nuisance for us but it is for the Taliban.

Women going shirtless in public isn’t a nuisance for me, but it is for you so would that put you in the same line as the Taliban?

 

[OMB]

Sure, F1 is open to all genders, but that still doesn’t answer my question, why isn’t there a female F1 racing competition? In a population of 7 billion people, can’t we find 20 female racers?

Yup, it took them up to 2021 to allow female train drivers, and people expect the Taliban to give equal rights to Afghan women in a couple of months.



Yup, my point being it took up to 2021 to finally allow female train drivers in Russia, maybe we should give the Taliban 10-20 years too, maybe they’ll become more lenient.

So which countries are gold standard and should be followed? UK? Is there a females honours board up in lords? (Idk)

How many female ICC elite umpires are there?

How many female MCC members?

Female cricketers may not be a nuisance for us but it is for the Taliban.

Women going shirtless in public isn’t a nuisance for me, but it is for you so would that put you in the same line as the Taliban?

ok, so you also think it is wrong and you only wish for the world to be lenient and grant them 10 or 20 years. Why didnt you say so in the first place?

 

[street cricketer]

No one talked about Vatican City having a cricket team, lol.

Why is there no F1 racing for women? Why can’t women go shirtless in public?

We’re talking about restrictions that are placed on Afghan women but forget the restrictions that women in the west face.

Yes, Afghan women should be allowed to play cricket, but if the law of their land says no then who are we to say it’s wrong?

It’s only this year that Russia allowed female train drivers, bet you’ve never heard about that before 2021.

Always amusing to see when Pakistanis passionately defend the Taliban's actions on social media.

On twitter, when Sarah Taylor and Izzie Westbury tweeted on the situation a few days back, there were more Pakistanis passionately arguing in favour of the Taliban than Afghans themselves which was a bit amusing.

 

[YousafTheBeast]

Always amusing to see when Pakistanis passionately defend the Taliban's actions on social media.

On twitter, when Sarah Taylor and Izzie Westbury tweeted on the situation a few days back, there were more Pakistanis passionately arguing in favour of the Taliban than Afghans themselves which was a bit amusing.

Where did I defend the Taliban? I don’t have a problem with Afghan women playing cricket.

I have a problem with western countries who point out at Muslim countries for not giving equal rights to women, the very same countries who’ll arrest a women for breast-feeding in public.

The Taliban could ask these western countries ‘why is there no women in the ICC elite umpires?’.

The Taliban could ask ‘why aren’t England’s women’s team being paid the same salary as the men’s?’ Where the equality there?

The Taliban could ask ‘why is there no female MCC member?’

The Taliban could ask ‘in a global population of 7 billion people, why can’t we find 20 female F1 drivers?’

The Taliban could ask ‘why does the Vatican City not allow divorce and abortion?’

The list goes on and on…

I’m not defending the Taliban one bit, I hope they let women play sports in Afghanistan.

All I’m doing is pointing out the hypocrisy, where the west talks about rights for women in Afghanistan yet forget the rights of their own women.

 

[street cricketer]

Where did I defend the Taliban? I don’t have a problem with Afghan women playing cricket.

I have a problem with western countries who point out at Muslim countries for not giving equal rights to women, the very same countries who’ll arrest a women for breast-feeding in public.

The Taliban could ask these western countries ‘why is there no women in the ICC elite umpires?’.

The Taliban could ask ‘why aren’t England’s women’s team being paid the same salary as the men’s?’ Where the equality there?

The Taliban could ask ‘why is there no female MCC member?’

The Taliban could ask ‘in a global population of 7 billion people, why can’t we find 20 female F1 drivers?’

The Taliban could ask ‘why does the Vatican City not allow divorce and abortion?’

The list goes on and on…

I’m not defending the Taliban one bit, I hope they let women play sports in Afghanistan.

All I’m doing is pointing out the hypocrisy, where the west talks about rights for women in Afghanistan yet forget the rights of their own women.

Ah yes, you're not defending the Taliban "one bit", and yet continue to provide a flurry of silly analogies and false equivalences like why can't the women in the west go shirtless in public, why are there no women elite ICC umpires and why are there no women members in the MCC.

The world has always been patriarchal since time immemorial because men possessed the power throughout history and those with power dictate the rules. The world has changed as the cultural ethos of humans have evolved over the centuries but it's still not perfect, even in the west. There are a lot of areas where there may be practices still prejudiced by patriarchy. But the difference in women rights and empowerment in the west and Afghanistan under the Taliban regime is day and night, they are decades and probably even a century apart.

You are doing yourself no favours when you say you don't defend the Taliban and yet draw imaginary false equivalences and try to equate the rights of women in western countries and Afganistan, which are literally poles apart.

 

[Abu_Hamza]

Ah yes, you're not defending the Taliban "one bit", and yet continue to provide a flurry of silly analogies and false equivalences like why can't the women in the west go shirtless in public, why are there no women elite ICC umpires and why are there no women members in the MCC.

The world has always been patriarchal since time immemorial because men possessed the power throughout history and those with power dictate the rules. The world has changed as the cultural ethos of humans have evolved over the centuries but it's still not perfect, even in the west. There are a lot of areas where there may be practices still prejudiced by patriarchy. But the difference in women rights and empowerment in the west and Afghanistan under the Taliban regime is day and night, they are decades and probably even a century apart.

You are doing yourself no favours when you say you don't defend the Taliban and yet draw imaginary false equivalences and try to equate the rights of women in western countries and Afganistan, which are literally poles apart.

When this world will be ruled by women and they will dominate men everywhere and will treat men all over the world the same way Taliban treats women then only Taliban should be called out for denying women their freedom and rights else not as per some scholars.

 

[ExpressPacer]

I cannot bother arguing with people who try to justify women’s rights being eroded. Whether it happens in Afghanistan or the Vatican, I don’t care frankly. It is wrong in both instances. One does not make the other OK.

Also, if they have boycotted Afghanistan and not Vatican, then they should boycott the Vatican or at least take it up with them too. But that doesn’t mean that boycotting Afghanistan is wrong. 2 wrongs don’t make a right.

 

[wrongun]

I cannot bother arguing with people who try to justify women’s rights being eroded. Whether it happens in Afghanistan or the Vatican, I don’t care frankly. It is wrong in both instances. One does not make the other OK.

Also, if they have boycotted Afghanistan and not Vatican, then they should boycott the Vatican or at least take it up with them too. But that doesn’t mean that boycotting Afghanistan is wrong. 2 wrongs don’t make a right.

What's weird is most of these people vehemently oppose racial apartheid but don't apply the same distaste to gender apartheid...

 

[Abu_Hamza]

What's weird is most of these people vehemently oppose racial apartheid but don't apply the same distaste to gender apartheid...

Racial apartheid happens irrespective of the gender of the person where men are also a victim of it, but gender apartheid applies to women only so these hypocrites dont give a damn about it. Its called following double standard or hypocrisy of top class.

 

[Robert]

So much whattabbouttery in this thread.

ICC rules say a side must have a women’s game in order to play internationals. Afghanistan has no women’s game, so no men’s game either.

 

[Junaids]

So much whattabbouttery in this thread.

ICC rules say a side must have a women’s game in order to play internationals. Afghanistan has no women’s game, so no men’s game either.

I'm really sorry, but I don't want to play with or against a medieval society. I have enough trouble justifying playing with and against certain Pakistanis, but Afghanistan is just taking it too far.

The Taliban took their society from the 1940's to Medieval times. Now they are doing it again.

I'm sorry, but good riddance.

 

[fitCricFan]

What do you expect from a bunch of tribals with a medieval mindset. Saw the news of girls football team escaping to Pskistan. This is only going to get worse.

 

[OMB]

Afghanistan faces potential exodus from T20 World Cup, ICC ban if team plays under Taliban flag: Report

If the Afghanistan cricket team decides to feature in the T20 World Cup 2021 under the Taliban flag, it could be banned by the ICC from the tournament.

Though Afghanistan are supposed to feature in the T20 World Cup 2021, under which flag will they play remains unclearIf Afghanistan play under the Taliban flag, they could be barred from participating in the T20 World Cup

Afghanistan cricket remains in a state of chaos. The Taliban's take over of the country's political spectrum has changed the outlook of the country. Though the nation's men's cricket team has been allowed to resume cricketing commitments, the identity of the team is still under question. With the T20 World Cup 2021 less than a month away, it remains to be seen whether the nation's men's team will be allowed to participate under the flag of Afghanistan. In a case where the team is made to participate under the Taliban flag, the repercussions could be huge.

It isn't yet known how the Taliban sees Afghanistan's participation in the T20 World Cup 2021. But, the appointment of Naseeb Zadran Khan in place of Hamid Shinwari does hint towards the Taliban's intent towards getting itself highlighted on the international circuit.

As per the protocols, all the participating nations in the T20 World Cup are supposed to submit the flags under which they will be participating. Usually, this process isn't a matter of debate but in Afghanistan's case, it is. Should Afghanistan submit the Taliban's flag for the showpiece event, the International Cricket Council would be under pressure to clear its stance over the situation in the Asian country.

As per a report in the Telegraph UK, ICC might not just bar Afghanistan from participating into the T20 World Cup but could also kick them out as one of the member nations.

Afghanistan qualified directly for the finals of the T20 World Cup 2021 and are placed in Group 2 alongside India, Pakistan and New Zealand. They will be joined by two more teams from the qualifiers that will begin from October 17.

The Afghans are also under pressure over the current status of their women's national team. According to the ICC rules, full members must have a national women’s team. The Afghanistan Cricket Board was to launch their women's team this year but the plans received a huge setback with the Taliban's infiltration into the nation.

Earlier this month, the ICC had admitted being concerned about women's cricket in Afghanistan. Australia has even threatened to cancel its historic Test against Afghanistan's men's team if the nation doesn't promote women's cricket like other member nations.

Afghanistan, at present, receives $5 million a year in funding from the ICC as a full member. If 12 of the 17 board members decided to suspend Afghanistan's membership over the current state of affairs, the apex board would be forced to do so.

https://www.timesnownews.com/sports/cricket/article/afghanistan-faces-potential-exodus-from-t20-world-cup-icc-ban-if-team-plays-under-taliban-flag-report/815178

 

[rhony]

Let the Afghani women cricketers settle down in India. They will be part of India's domestic setup so their women's cricket will survive. Men's team will continue as they were.

 

[The_KING]

Lol at exposing their faces. What a bunch of backward, old fashioned imbeciles these taliban are. Poor Afghan women.

 

[Cricketrenew]

1. It looks like culture in Afghan is in the 18/1900's, every country went through similiar phases, doesn't make it right.

2. If it really is that bad, women are hampered by men, then Afghanistan sadly should be banned.

 

[RyanRyan10]

I cannot bother arguing with people who try to justify women’s rights being eroded. Whether it happens in Afghanistan or the Vatican, I don’t care frankly. It is wrong in both instances. One does not make the other OK.

Also, if they have boycotted Afghanistan and not Vatican, then they should boycott the Vatican or at least take it up with them too. But that doesn’t mean that boycotting Afghanistan is wrong. 2 wrongs don’t make a right.

Vatican don't have a cricket team.

Afghanistan is now on the verge of getting banned. I hope their men at least get to play T20 WC.

 

[MenInG]

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia will postpone its test match against Afghanistan indefinitely this week to prompt the Asian nation to “rethink” their approach to women’s sport, Cricket Tasmania boss Dominic Baker said on Wednesday.

The match against the Afghan men’s team was scheduled for Nov. 27 in Hobart.

“It’ll be formally postponed indefinitely this week. That will come out in the next couple of days,” Baker told local radio station Triple M.

“It’s about giving the Afghanistan government some direction around what they have to do to get back into sport.

“It’s not acceptable that they don’t allow female sport. If they want to play competitive male sport, particularly in the cricket sphere, they have to rethink what they do with female sport.”

Governing body Cricket Australia said this month it would scrap the test after media reports the Asian country’s Taliban rulers would not allow women to play cricket.

A Cricket Australia spokesman said on Wednesday no decision had been made on the fixture.

Baker said the match might be scheduled later.

“We’re not going to cancel it altogether,” he said.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board’s new chairman Azizullah Fazli told Reuters this month it was committed to promoting women’s cricket in the country and optimistic the one-off test against Australia would go ahead.

The sport’s global governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), is set to discuss the status of women’s cricket in Afghanistan at its next board meeting in November.

There is further uncertainty about Australia’s Ashes schedule over the home summer due to outbreaks of COVID-19 in southern states and England players’ reluctance to tour the country due to strict quarantine restrictions.

Baker said Hobart would be ready to step in and host an Ashes test if required amid doubts Perth will be able to stage the fifth and final match.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cricket-australia-afghanistan-idCAKBN2GP0LM

 

[MenInG]

Australia’s players support the country’s board over its threat to call off a test with Afghanistan if the Taliban regime ban women from playing cricket, white ball captain Aaron Finch said on Wednesday.

Governing body Cricket Australia said it would cancel the Nov. 27 test in Hobart if reports women in the South Asian nation would be banned from playing the game were substantiated.

“It’s a really challenging time no doubt, but we’re supportive of Cricket Australia’s position,” Finch told reporters in a media call.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said last month it was committed to women’s cricket though it was awaiting instructions from the government on its future.

The Afghanistan’s men’s squad is preparing for the Twenty20 World Cup in United Arab Emirates and Oman starting on Oct. 17.

Australia’s test captain Tim Paine said last month teams might refuse to play Afghanistan at the World Cup and questioned how the International Cricket Council, the sport’s global governing body, could sanction their participation in the tournament.

The ICC will discuss Afghanistan and women’s cricket at its next board meeting during the World Cup.

Finch declined to say whether Australia would feel comfortable playing the Afghans at the World Cup where they would not meet unless both teams advance to at least the semi-finals.

“That’s an ICC decision,” he said.”We’re hopeful that things can resolve itself and Afghanistan can play a huge part in international cricket.

“We’ve seen how important they are, the development of their game in Afghanistan no doubt is huge.”

https://indianexpress.com/article/s...n-ban-women-from-cricket-aaron-finch-7554821/

 

[MenInG]

Australia's Test against Afghanistan is likely to be postponed until it is clearer what impact the takeover by the Taliban will have on sport in the country, Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive Nick Hockley told local media on Monday.

CA last month threatened to scrap the Test, which is scheduled to start in Hobart on November 27, if the Taliban government which took power in August did not allow women and girls to play the sport.

"It's likely that we will postpone (the Test) until a point of time where there is more clarity and that's following consultation with the Australian government," Hockley told the ABC.

"The work we've been doing is to understand the current situation on the ground.

"We made our position very, very clear off the back of some earlier comments around, potentially, cricket as a sport for women and girls not being supported in Afghanistan."

Hockley also said he was confident negotiations with the Western Australia government would be successful and that the fifth Ashes Test will go ahead as scheduled in Perth next January.

The tourist conditionally agreed to proceed with the tour late last week after Hockley held two video conference meetings with the England players to ease their fears about overly strict bio-security protocols.

Western Australia has employed strict border controls to keep COVID-19 out of the state and if the government stuck to its rules, the England squad would have to quarantine for two weeks after arriving in Perth from the fourth Test in Sydney.

Hockley thought the state would be prepared to relax the quarantine requirements and allow the England players to play the Perth Test in a bio-secure bubble with some freedoms.

"We would desperately like to play the fifth Test in Perth. It's absolutely our intention to do so," he added.

"Those discussions are going on right as we speak. That will be our focus over the next couple of months."

The Ashes series starts in Brisbane on December 8.

https://sportstar.thehindu.com/cric...be-postponed-cricket-news/article36939097.ece

 

[Last Monetarist]

https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2021/10/13/afghanistan-cricket-chief-on-future-of-women-and-sport

Sport in Afghanistan faced an uncertain future following the Taliban’s takeover of the country in August this year.

Hundreds of athletes, especially female athletes, went into hiding or were evacuated from the country for fear of reprisal or being shunned by the new Taliban government.

Those outside the country feared the worst, having seen a complete ban on women’s sport when the armed group controlled Afghanistan from 1996 until the US-led invasion in 2001.

A high-ranking Taliban official was recently quoted as saying that women will be banned from sport in the country (although officials later claimed the statement was not translated accurately from Pushto).

However, while the Taliban has spoken of inclusivity in the government, a moderate attitude towards women and a promise to continue sporting activities, current and former players remain sceptical and unsure of what the future may hold.

Some women have said they are fighting a losing battle to remain visible under the Taliban.

Al Jazeera spoke to the Afghanistan Cricket Board’s recently appointed Chairman Azizullah Fazli on the security situation, preparations for the World Cup and the future of women’s cricket in the country.

Al Jazeera: There have been a lot of concerns around the future of women’s sport, female athletes and the women’s cricket team. Has there been any directive from the Taliban government on what may happen?

Azizullah Fazli: We have spoken to the top Taliban government officials and their stance is that there is officially no ban on women’s sport, especially women’s cricket. They have no problem with women taking part in sport. We’ve not been asked to stop women from playing cricket. We’ve had a women’s team for 18 years, although it wasn’t a major team, we’re not on that level yet.

But what we need to keep in mind is our religion and culture. If women adhere to that [attire] there is no problem in them taking part in sporting activities. Islam doesn’t allow women to wear shorts like the other teams do while playing football especially. That’s something we need to keep in mind.

A Taliban official also recently said sport and politics will be kept separate and those who understand the game and are technically well-versed will be appointed into relevant positions. The government has told us it will support us in any way needed.

Al Jazeera: The last couple of months have seen drastic changes in the political landscape in the country. How has sport been affected, especially preparations for the cricket T20 World Cup?

Fazli: In sport, we’ve had no problems. We have been training and playing matches in the last two months, even after the Taliban government took over. They said they support cricket and are fully behind the development of the game. I’m a former cricketer and been involved with the cricket board for almost 15 years. I was chairman in 2018-2019 and when I was recently brought back, they assured me that there will be no political interference in cricket and sport.

Al Jazeera: But has the situation and the fall of the previous government changed anything?

Fazli: The situation in Afghanistan is great. There is peace, no fighting apart from isolated instances [such as a recent Kunduz attack where more than 50 people died in a mosque bomb attack]. These isolated instances happen all over the world. In the months prior to the Taliban takeover, we had hundreds killed daily. Now there is no war, no fighting. The security situation is great and the future is bright from Afghanistan cricket.

Al Jazeera: The International Cricket Council (ICC) said it will review the situation in Afghanistan at a meeting soon. There are also prospects of expulsion for not having a women’s team as required by the ICC for all member states.

Fazli: When Afghanistan attained ICC’s full member status in 2017, the criteria we were given did not have anything on expulsion if we do not have a women’s team. At that time, there was fighting across the country, players lived far away from Kabul and we told them how it was very difficult for us to have a women’s team. The ICC told us OK, we can work on the development and then look at having the women’s team. That criteria doesn’t apply to us. We do want to have the team, of course. People are talking about the situation in Afghanistan in general. That’s the political situation related to the government, not cricket.

Al Jazeera: You mentioned that you’ve been appointed for three years. You’ve been in this position before. What is your vision and what do you want to see Afghanistan cricket achieve in your tenure?

Fazli: I’m a former cricketer, I understand the sport well and that’s why I’ve been re-appointed. For starters, we need two to three international-standard grounds. We need to improve our relations with full member states, and we need sponsors. We didn’t have a sponsor for two years. Now we have one for the World Cup but I’m trying to get another big company involved.

In these three years, I want to make a strategy for the next five years – including development of domestic cricket and relations with other countries. We also want to support associate members, especially in our region. I have almost 20 years of experience in cricket and I know what’s needed where.

My message to the world of sport is to use sport for peace. For decades, Afghanistan was at war and then this amazing bunch of players emerged that rocked the world of cricket. That was great for cricket and for sport. Now, there are more hopes from the team, the country. As the security situation improves in Afghanistan, so will the cricket.

Al Jazeera: You spoke about relations with neighbours and member states. Relations between the Afghanistan and Pakistan boards were patchy in the past. Where do things stand now?

Fazli: Sports work towards peace. It’s best to have good relations with your neighbours to achieve that. Ramiz Raja [Pakistan’s new cricket chief and former cricketer] is a good friend, and we’re talking. We’re also in talks with India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. They all supported us when we weren’t a full member state. Pakistan is a neighbour, a brotherly Muslim nation. I’m happy if we get their support and they are happy if they get our support. That’s how it works.

There are so many Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Even I played in Karachi. It’s good for them. It was the political relationship between the two countries that wasn’t great in the recent past but we’ve had our players in the Pakistan Super League too and now the situation is really good between us.

 

[Savak]

Can Afghanistan winning the T-20 tournament help the Taliban get international legitimacy?

They have the best spinners in the world. On his day Zazai and Najeeb can destroy any bowling attack in the world. They have an Akhroat approach to the game where they will hit fearlessly without overthinking too much about the end result.

This is the approach that is needed in the UAE Conditions. All major teams will have their work cut out against them.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

They have the best spinners in the world. On his day Zazai and Najeeb can destroy any bowling attack in the world. They have an Akhroat approach to the game where they will hit fearlessly without overthinking too much about the end result.

This is the approach that is needed in the UAE Conditions. All major teams will have their work cut out against them.

Outside of subcontinental politicians nobody really cares about Cricket at a political level and winning will do nothing for the legitimacy of the Taliban.

It will make for incredibly awkward scenes though as the world media will be forced to show images of the Taliban welcoming back the victorious side.

 

[MenInG]

A Taliban official on Wednesday reached the Abu Dhabi cricket stadium to cheer the Afghanistan team in a crucial T20 World Cup encounter against India.

While the Taliban frown on many forms of public entertainment, cricket has always been an exception, game fighters followed closely even during the war whenever the national team was playing.

“Today, we have a T20 World Cup match between Afghanistan and India. We have come to the city of Abu Dhabi to encourage and cheer on the national team of our beloved country Afghanistan," Ahmed Ullah Wasiq said on his Twitter handle.

Hoping for an Afghanistan win, Ahmed said that his country supports and backs Afghanistan’s national cricket team and its players.

"The match will be starting in a while and we hope Afghanistan will win today’s match, InshaAllah," he further said.

Afghanistan are facing an Indian team in a crucial WCT20 clash today. A win for Afghanistan significantly strengthen the chances of the Afghan team reaching the semifinal stage and India would crash out of the tournament.

Following the resounding win against Scotland, Taliban officials took to social media to congratulate the Afghan national cricket team for winning a match in the Twenty20 World Cup.

Afghanistan beat Scotland in a match played in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates - the first major victory for the team since the Taliban takeover of the country.

"Congratulations to the team and wish them more success in the future," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Twitter.

A spokesman for the Taliban's Qatar office also joined in the praise, adding: "We hope for similar and even higher achievements in other fields, especially in the political, economic and scientific fields."

The highest-profile message came from Anas Haqqani, the younger brother of Afghanistan's current acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani - the head of the Haqqani Network.

"Afghanistan won," the younger Haqqani said.

The Taliban's representative-designate to the United Nations Suhail Shaheen tweeted: "Well done boys!"

Despite years of violence and upheaval, Afghanistan has an enthusiastic and widespread following of cricket and residents of Kabul were eagerly anticipating the cricket world cup matches.

The governing International Cricket Council (ICC) will meet this month to determine the game's future in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2327662/indvsafg-taliban-cheer-afghanistan-team-in-abu-dhabi-stadium

 

[SpiritOf1903]

A Taliban official on Wednesday reached the Abu Dhabi cricket stadium to cheer the Afghanistan team in a crucial T20 World Cup encounter against India.

While the Taliban frown on many forms of public entertainment, cricket has always been an exception, game fighters followed closely even during the war whenever the national team was playing.

“Today, we have a T20 World Cup match between Afghanistan and India. We have come to the city of Abu Dhabi to encourage and cheer on the national team of our beloved country Afghanistan," Ahmed Ullah Wasiq said on his Twitter handle.

Hoping for an Afghanistan win, Ahmed said that his country supports and backs Afghanistan’s national cricket team and its players.

"The match will be starting in a while and we hope Afghanistan will win today’s match, InshaAllah," he further said.

Afghanistan are facing an Indian team in a crucial WCT20 clash today. A win for Afghanistan significantly strengthen the chances of the Afghan team reaching the semifinal stage and India would crash out of the tournament.

Following the resounding win against Scotland, Taliban officials took to social media to congratulate the Afghan national cricket team for winning a match in the Twenty20 World Cup.

Afghanistan beat Scotland in a match played in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates - the first major victory for the team since the Taliban takeover of the country.

"Congratulations to the team and wish them more success in the future," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Twitter.

A spokesman for the Taliban's Qatar office also joined in the praise, adding: "We hope for similar and even higher achievements in other fields, especially in the political, economic and scientific fields."

The highest-profile message came from Anas Haqqani, the younger brother of Afghanistan's current acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani - the head of the Haqqani Network.

"Afghanistan won," the younger Haqqani said.

The Taliban's representative-designate to the United Nations Suhail Shaheen tweeted: "Well done boys!"

Despite years of violence and upheaval, Afghanistan has an enthusiastic and widespread following of cricket and residents of Kabul were eagerly anticipating the cricket world cup matches.

The governing International Cricket Council (ICC) will meet this month to determine the game's future in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2327662/indvsafg-taliban-cheer-afghanistan-team-in-abu-dhabi-stadium

That's why they tanked ...

 

[street cricketer]

A Taliban official on Wednesday reached the Abu Dhabi cricket stadium to cheer the Afghanistan team in a crucial T20 World Cup encounter against India.

While the Taliban frown on many forms of public entertainment, cricket has always been an exception, game fighters followed closely even during the war whenever the national team was playing.

“Today, we have a T20 World Cup match between Afghanistan and India. We have come to the city of Abu Dhabi to encourage and cheer on the national team of our beloved country Afghanistan," Ahmed Ullah Wasiq said on his Twitter handle.

Hoping for an Afghanistan win, Ahmed said that his country supports and backs Afghanistan’s national cricket team and its players.

"The match will be starting in a while and we hope Afghanistan will win today’s match, InshaAllah," he further said.

Afghanistan are facing an Indian team in a crucial WCT20 clash today. A win for Afghanistan significantly strengthen the chances of the Afghan team reaching the semifinal stage and India would crash out of the tournament.

Following the resounding win against Scotland, Taliban officials took to social media to congratulate the Afghan national cricket team for winning a match in the Twenty20 World Cup.

Afghanistan beat Scotland in a match played in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates - the first major victory for the team since the Taliban takeover of the country.

"Congratulations to the team and wish them more success in the future," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Twitter.

A spokesman for the Taliban's Qatar office also joined in the praise, adding: "We hope for similar and even higher achievements in other fields, especially in the political, economic and scientific fields."

The highest-profile message came from Anas Haqqani, the younger brother of Afghanistan's current acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani - the head of the Haqqani Network.

"Afghanistan won," the younger Haqqani said.

The Taliban's representative-designate to the United Nations Suhail Shaheen tweeted: "Well done boys!"

Despite years of violence and upheaval, Afghanistan has an enthusiastic and widespread following of cricket and residents of Kabul were eagerly anticipating the cricket world cup matches.

The governing International Cricket Council (ICC) will meet this month to determine the game's future in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2327662/indvsafg-taliban-cheer-afghanistan-team-in-abu-dhabi-stadium

No wonder they looked under pressure lol..

 

[KingKhanWC]

No wonder they looked under pressure lol..

They have more fear of beating India badly. lol

Its nice to the Afghan government supporting cricket.

 

[Usergame]

Afghanistan should not be at this tournament and their test status needs to get stripped now.

It's clear in the Icc rules- you can't have a country that bans women from playing test cricket or any icc event.

 

[Joseph Gomes]

It's fine to let Afghanistan in as the tournament was planned long before Taliban came into power (it would have held in 2020 if not for covid). However Afghanistan should stripped of test status as soon as this tournament is over.