Cricket’s governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), announced it will form a dedicated task force to support Afghan women cricketers.
After the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan nearly four years ago, one of the first things to be banned was women playing sports.
Although the ICC requires its full members, like Afghanistan, to have a women's team, the men’s team retained their test status and received funding support from the council, while the women were forced into exile.
Earlier this year, more than 160 British MPs called for England’s men's team to boycott a championship match against Afghanistan over the disparity.
At the time, English Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Richard Gould urged the ICC to take action over what he called “gender apartheid” in Afghanistan.
The ECB, along with Cricket Australia and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), are assisting the ICC’s new project for the women’s team.
Photo credit: Martin Keep/AFP via Getty Images
