Crickket’s administrative body (ICC) announced that Afghanistan, which was displaced by the Taliban regime, will create a special task force to support female jacks. The news comes to most women who have struggled to represent their nations in the last three years as a cheerful surprise.
“I can’t describe my feelings when I hear the news,” Firoooza said to DW. ” “I can’t say it’s just three years. I think more than 20 years. When we were in Afghanistan and other women in front of us, they were fighting for this team from 2010. We can represent our country like other women from countries such as Pakistan, India, Australia.”
“A great news for all Afghan women in the world, not just for us,” Afghan said. He said. “And I believe that the women and girls of Afghanistan deserve this chance.”
Three years in Exlie
The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, and since then, women have been banned from most of the public life, including sports. This meant that the female jack was no longer recognized and wanted national team players to write to ICC, who wanted the ICC to be recognized as a refugee team. Six months after making a cricket playing agreement for his country, Afghan had to flee to Australia like most of his teammates.
The pressure of the governments of some of the ICC’s leading cricket nations called on the Human Rights Monitoring Organization to suspend Afghanistan’s membership and to ban the men’s team that regularly compete in the world cups. There was no action against the men’s team, although Afghanistan was not a female team, no change was made in the ICC membership of the country with the ICC requirement. Therefore, the explanation in April is a great moment.
According to the ICC statement, the task force established with the largest jack associations in the global game, namely India, England and Australia, “contains a special fund to provide direct financial assistance and allows these cricketists to have the resources they need to continue their favorite game”. “This will be completed with a solid high performance program that offers advanced coaching, first -class facilities and special mentoring to help them reach all their potentials.”
A return by message
For Afghan, this latest development is just the next step of returning the game in favor of them. After playing their first matches in January for more than three years in January – the blue shirts in Australia are unlimited, but they play against cricket without the country’s flag or colors – the team is ready to return.
“This is not the end. We’ve just started, Af Afghan said. “I think Afghanistan female history is now about starting again.
The effect of this news may go beyond the current group.
“For the first time, when I was a child, I only saw the men’s matches. And then I decided to play cricket and asked my mother:” Why isn’t Afghanistan’s women’s team? “And he said: ‘Maybe one day you, you girls,’ Afghan said. “And I just want it for the new generation. They want to play crickets and they can see other Afghanistan women and are encouraged to come and play.”
Hope now is that ICC’s initiative can take action rapidly and that Afghanistan’s women can re -represent their countries.
The interview was performed by Janek Speight.
Edited by Matt Pearson.
