The first ever Test between Australia and Afghanistan will be cancelled if reports the Taliban will ban women from playing cricket are confirmed.
The historic Test was scheduled to start on November 27 in Hobart but was thrown into doubt when the Taliban regained control over Afghanistan last month.
The deputy head of the Taliban’s cultural commission, Ahmadullah Wasiq, told SBS that the national men’s team could continue to play under the new regime.
But in a second interview, Mr Wasiq said women would not be allowed to play because their faces or bodies could be “exposed”.
In response to media reports of Mr Wasiq’s interview, Cricket Australia released a statement underlining support for women’s cricket and ruling out the men’s Test if the Taliban’s hard line stance is verified.
“Driving the growth of women’s cricket globally is incredibly important to Cricket Australia. Our vision for cricket is that it is a sport for all and we support the game unequivocally for women at every level,” CA said in the statement.
“If recent media reports that women’s cricket will not be supported in Afghanistan are substantiated, Cricket Australia would have no alternative but to not host Afghanistan for the proposed Test Match due to be played in Hobart.”
“We thank the Australian and Tasmanian Governments for their support on this important issue.”
The Tasmanian Premier, Peter Gutwein, told parliament earlier this week that he had concerns about the Test going ahead in Hobart and would consult the local Hazara community.
The ICC has been monitoring the situation in Afghanistan since the Taliban regained control of the country.
Afghanistan were granted full ICC membership in 2017 even though, at the time, they didn’t have a women’s team, usually a pre-requisite for full membership status.
The ICC granted the Afghanistan Cricket Board an exemption because of their stated commitment to women’s cricket and the progress that had already been made.
Last November, the ACB contracted 25 female players but they had not played an international match before the Taliban’s takeover.
Afghanistan’s men’s team is still scheduled to play in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in October and November and a spokesperson told Sporting News the matter will be discussed by the ICC board at their next meeting during the latter stage of the tournament.
“The ICC is committed to the long-term growth of women’s cricket and despite the cultural and religious challenges in Afghanistan, steady progress had been made in this area since Afghanistan’s admission as a Full Member in 2017,” the spokesperson said.
“The ICC has been monitoring the changing situation in Afghanistan and is concerned to note recent media reports that women will no longer be allowed to play cricket.
“This and the impact it will have on the continued development of the game will be discussed by the ICC Board at its next meeting.”
