Women's Cricket in Afghanistan Will be Streamlined, Says ACB Chairman
Afghanistan's men's cricket team begin their 2021 T20 World Cup campaign against Scotland.
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Since the Taliban took over the reigns in Afghanistan, there have been plenty of questions about how things would function in the country, including sport.
One of the concerns, apart from getting women athletes to safety first, was the future of women’s cricket. The men’s team are currently in UAE for the T20 World Cup.
On Sunday, Afghanistan cricket chief Azizullah Fazli told AFP on Sunday that "women's cricket will be streamlined" under the new regime.
"Some people talk about our policy on women's cricket, for them my message is just wait," said Fazli.
"Our government is streamlining things and women's cricket will also be streamlined."
Earlier, during their first stint in power in Afghanistan, the Taliban had banned most forms of entertainment and converted stadiums to execution venues. Women’s sport was banned as well.
The ICC are understood to be monitoring the matter and are also expected to discuss it during their next meeting in Dubai next month.
The head of the Afghanistan cricket board, who had also been in the same post three years ago, said that the sport had given the country a new identity.
"Cricket unites the world so we talk about unity of the cricket world," said Fazli.
"Cricket has given us an identity and we are getting better and better."
He also said that they were building infrastructure and hoped to host international cricket in the future.
Recently, the Australian cricket board too had threatened to not play their Test match against Afghanistan in November if women’s cricket wasn’t given its rightful due.
ICC rules too dictate that all member nations to have men’s and women’s teams.
Afghanistan’s men’s team open their T20 World Cup campaign against Scotland on 25 October.
(With AFP inputs)
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