Afghan women will be BANNED from playing cricket or any other sport under the Taliban regime

Afghan women will be banned from playing cricket or any other sport under the Taliban regime – threatening the Test status of the men’s team.

Afghanistan’s Cricket Board awarded contracts to 25 female cricketers last year with the view to launching a national women’s side, which is a condition to being a full member of the International Cricket Council.

Only full ICC members are allowed to play Test matches and Afghanistan’s men are due to play Australia in Hobart in November.

Afghan women will be banned from playing cricket or any other sport under the Taliban regime

Afghanistan’s Cricket Board were last year aiming to launch a national women’s side

However, while the Taliban have approved that fixture, the ICC could revoke the country’s full member status after the deputy head of the Taliban’s cultural commission, Ahmadullah Wasiq, said on Wednesday that women should not play sport.

‘I don’t think women will be allowed to play cricket because it is not necessary that women should play cricket,” said Wasiq. 

‘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.

Afghanistan’s men’s side are due to play Australia in a Test match in Hobart in November 

‘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.’

Asked by Australian broadcaster SBS News how this decision could impact the men’s team, Wasiq replied: ‘Even for this, if we face challenges and problems, we have fought for our religion so that Islam is to be followed. 

‘We will not cross Islamic values even if it carries opposite reactions.’