Afghanistan women won't be allowed to play sport, including cricket, confirms Taliban

In November 2020, twenty-five female cricketers were awarded central contracts by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB). It also held a 21-day training camp for 40 female cricketers in Kabul. 

The Taliban confirmed on Wednesday (September 8) that women in Afghanistan will not be allowed to play any sports, including cricket. The move now puts the one-off men's Test match between Australia and Afghanistan for November in Hobart under doubt. "I don't think women will be allowed to play cricket because it is not necessary that women should play cricket. In cricket, they might face a situation where their face and body will not be covered. Islam does not allow women to be seen like this. It is the media era, and there will be photos and videos, and then people watch it. Islam and the Islamic Emirate do not allow women to play cricket or play the kind of sports where they get exposed," said Ahmadullah Wasiq, the deputy head of the Taliban's cultural commission, in an interview to SBS News. In November 2020, twenty-five female cricketers were awarded central contracts by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB). It also held a 21-day training camp for 40 female cricketers in Kabul. The International Cricket Council (ICC) requires all 12 of its full members to have a national women's team and only full members of the ICC are permitted to play Test matches.