Afghanistan at risk of losing ICC's full membership over status of women's team
The uncertainty surrounding the Afghanistan women's cricket team, due to the current political situation in the country, could have substantial repercussions on the status of its cricket teams.
It will depend on the stance of the latest government in the country. If they don't permit their women's team to participate in international cricket, Afghanistan will lose its full member status with the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The Taliban government has given its nod for men's cricket activities to go ahead as planned. It cleared the path for the Afghanistan men's team's participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup in UAE and Oman.
But the authorities are reportedly not so keen to accord the women's cricket team the same privileges under their regime.
Speaking to the Guardian, Afghanistan women's cricketer Roya Samim explained the current state of the women's cricket division in the country.
Roya recently moved to Canada after the previous government collapsed in Afghanistan. Regarding the situation of women's cricket in her country, Roya Samim said:
"The Taliban are against girls studying, so how do they want a girl’s cricket team? Leaving Afghanistan, it was a sad day for me. I just cried. I really love everything that I had: my job, my cricket, my teammates, my hometown, my relatives. Everything that I have, I leave behind. Even now when I remember this day I will cry."
We all emailed the ICC but got no response from them: Afghanistan women's cricketer Roya Samim
Roya Samim further revealed that the players mailed the ICC to seek some help in this matter, but she stated that they did not receive any reply from the governing body.
Even the Afghanistan cricket board asked them to wait without giving any assurance or a definite answer. Roya Samim said:
"After the Taliban came to Kabul, we requested that [the ICC] please save all the girls, we are worried for our teammates. We all emailed the ICC but got no response from them. Why do they not respond to us, why do they not consider us, even treat us that we don’t exist in the world? The Afghan Cricket Board [ACB] also said nothing, they said just: 'Wait.'"