With the dream of as soon as once more donning the Afghanistan jersey on the worldwide degree, 17 ladies cricketers from the nation dwelling in self-imposed exile in Australia have written to the ICC (Worldwide Cricket Council) to assist arrange a group, which was disbanded after the Taliban takeover in 2021.
Whereas the Afghanistan males’s group has set new benchmarks and just lately made it to the T20 World Cup 2024 semifinals for the primary time, the ladies gamers, who have been contracted to the Afghanistan Cricket Board earlier than the Taliban takeover, sought refuge in Australia, the place they hope to arrange a refugee group and play worldwide cricket.
In a letter written to the worldwide governing physique, the ladies cricketers praised the sumptuous efficiency of the lads’s group within the T20 World Cup however rued that they weren’t getting alternatives to flourish.
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“We, the previously contracted gamers of the Afghanistan ladies’s group, are proud and excited by the achievements of Afghanistan on the ICC Males’s T20 World Cup and want to congratulate Rashid Khan and his group on reaching the semi-finals,” the letter, written on June 29 said.
“A profound disappointment stays that we, as ladies, can not signify our nation just like the male cricketers.”
The Afghanistan authorities has stringent guidelines for ladies and they aren’t allowed to bask in sports activities actions.
“As former Afghan cricketers now dwelling overseas, we’re unable to signify the Afghanistan ladies’s nationwide group. We’re asking the ICC to help us in establishing a refugee group in Australia,” the letter added.
The gamers have instructed that the group may be administered by means of the East Asian Cricket workplace, which is predicated at Cricket Australia. They, nevertheless, acknowledged that “because of the authorities insurance policies of Afghanistan and the Afghanistan Cricket Board, the ICC can not recognise them as a nationwide group of Afghanistan”.
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“By this group, we purpose to signify all Afghan ladies who dream of taking part in cricket however are unable to in Afghanistan.”
The gamers have mentioned that their proposed group can be the one “with out borders” and would draw consideration to the challenges being confronted by ladies gamers in Afghanistan.
“Making a group of Afghan refugees can provide us an opportunity to play, coach and administer a cricket group with out borders. The creation of this group will enable all Afghan ladies who need to signify their nation to return collectively below one banner,” the gamers mentioned of their letter.
“Our targets in having a refugee group is to develop and showcase our expertise, give hope to the ladies remaining in Afghanistan, and to attract consideration to the challenges ladies of Afghanistan face.”