Afghanistan’s women cricketers say the International Cricket Council has not contacted them since they fled the country 18 months ago.
Most of the team were granted emergency visas to Australia following the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021.
The Taliban has banned women from universities, parks and sports.
“Women have been playing cricket in Afghanistan since 2010, why did the ICC not send anyone to check on us?” Firooza Afghan said.
The players said Cricket Australia’s decision to withdraw from a men’s one-day series against Afghanistan in March because of the Taliban’s restrictions on women and girls could have a positive impact.
“For the first time, the men’s matches have been cancelled and they can feel what we are feeling,” team-mate Nazifa Amiri told Australian broadcaster ABC.
“When the world sees that a country like Australia does not want to play against Afghanistan that makes a difference.”
Friba Hotack, who fled to Pakistan when the Taliban was looking for members of the Afghanistan women’s cricket team, said: “Because my life was in danger, I separated from my family. I was afraid, I was very scared.
“Our dreams were shattered from the day the Taliban came. Everything - bat, cricket equipment, we burnt everything because of the fear.
“The day we came to Australia, those dreams became alive again. We started to want to play again. We wanted to have a team here, to play cricket here.”
Women’s cricket had faced continual challenges in Afghanistan even prior to the Taliban takeover of the country in 2021.
The team was at times prevented from playing in international tournaments by the Afghanistan Cricket Board [ACB], which cited “Taliban threats”.
The growth of cricket in the country helped Afghanistan become a full ICC member in 2017, this coming with a requirement to have a national women’s team, though it was not until November 2020 that 25 female cricketers were awarded central contracts. That proved to be a false dawn, with the Taliban taking power and raiding the homes of female athletes.
“[We] need the support of the ACB, and also ICC,” Bibi Khadija added in talking to ABC.
“In Afghanistan, we were the national team players but after the Taliban came we couldn’t play. But here [in Australia] we want to make our team.
“This is our great ambition to play cricket for our country.”
(BBC Sports)