Women's rights matter more than any league, say Afghan cricketers

Afghan women's cricketers are criticizing overseas players because women have effectively been barred from sport since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Many female cricketers fled Afghanistan for safety. They say foreign players could have shown solidarity by refusing league contracts.

Nahida Sapan said this was not opposition to cricket or the Afghan men's team. She argued that a small decision by international players could send a powerful message and create pressure. Firooza Amiri also urged players to examine the systems they might help support. She distinguished supporting Afghan people from legitimising a system that removes women's rights.

The criticism focuses on values, not the sport itself. Afghanistan's women's players want the ICC to recognise them again and provide long-term funding. They fear participation without acknowledging women's exclusion makes their suffering easier to overlook, while withdrawal could demonstrate that sporting opportunities do not come before basic rights.

The Afghanistan Premier League is a men's franchise cricket league involving Afghan and overseas players. It is a major sporting opportunity, but it is also politically sensitive because women's participation in Afghan sport has been effectively outlawed since the Taliban returned to power.

The inaugural edition is expected to start in December in the United Arab Emirates. International players entered a draft, and eight English players were signed alongside cricketers from several other countries. The league therefore connects Afghanistan's men's cricket programme with a broad group of overseas professionals.

The competition's status was not settled when the article was published. It was still awaiting sanction from the International Cricket Council, or ICC. That unresolved approval, combined with the exclusion of Afghan women from cricket, prompted criticism from women's players and led the England and Wales Cricket Board to urge players to reconsider taking part.

Eight English players were signed in the draft: Alex Hales, Tymal Mills, Joe Clarke, Olly Stone, Moeen Ali, Luke Wood, Tom Moores and Chris Wood. England therefore had more overseas representation than any other country in the Afghanistan league.

The other countries supplying signed overseas players included Scotland and Ireland, with George Munsey and Curtis Campher securing deals. The league also attracted major names from Sri Lanka, Australia, South Africa and Bangladesh. Those players included Kusal Perera, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Kamindu Mendis, D'Arcy Short, Imran Tahir and Shakib Al Hasan.

Additional English players, including Dawid Malan and James Vince, entered the draft but were not listed among the signed players. The broad international participation made the women's cricketers' criticism especially pointed: they argued that foreign players had an opportunity to show support for Afghan women by declining involvement.

Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, women's participation in sport has been effectively outlawed in Afghanistan. Afghan women's cricketers say girls have also been denied education and other basic rights. Many female players left the country because they feared for their safety.

Firooza Amiri described the restrictions in personal terms. She asked people to imagine a daughter, sister or wife being barred from school simply because she is a woman. She also named restrictions on playing sport, pursuing ambitions and participating in public life. These examples show that the issue extends beyond cricket.

The result is that Afghanistan's women's players cannot operate as an officially recognised national team. They play instead as the Afghan Refugee Women's Team. They continue seeking ICC recognition and long-term funding, while support announced in 2025 has been extended. Their future depends on whether cricket bodies maintain that support and address their exclusion.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has refused to schedule bilateral cricket with Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power. The article places that decision alongside the exclusion of Afghan women from sport and other basic rights. Australia follows the same approach, although the article does not state a separate detailed reason for each board's policy.

England has continued playing Afghanistan at global events, including both limited-overs World Cups and the Champions Trophy. These tournaments are not bilateral series arranged solely between England and Afghanistan. That distinction allows England to maintain its stated bilateral position while still fulfilling its participation in wider international competitions.

The policy remains contested. England's 2025 game against Afghanistan prompted calls from MPs for a boycott. At the same time, the ECB urged players to reconsider joining the Afghanistan Premier League, and Ollie Pope withdrew. The article does not say that England has ended all matches against Afghanistan, only bilateral cricket.

ICC recognition means the governing body formally accepts a team as an international national side. The article links that status to the ability to represent Afghanistan officially and to receive cricket's institutional support. Afghanistan's men's team retains full ICC membership, but the women's side has not regained equivalent recognition.

Afghanistan's women's players repeatedly ask the ICC to recognise them again and commit to long-term funding. Without official recognition, they compete as the Afghan Refugee Women's Team. Many players left Afghanistan for safety after the Taliban returned to power, and women's participation in sport was effectively outlawed.

The situation also creates a governance contradiction. Afghanistan remains a full ICC member even though it cannot meet the membership requirement of supporting a women's national side. In April 2025, the ICC and cricket boards from England, Australia and India announced financial support for the players. That funding was extended in July, but recognition has not been restored.

International sport can give governments and governing bodies visibility, status and practical cooperation. When overseas players join a league, their presence can make the competition appear normal and internationally accepted. When they withdraw, they can signal that the host system's conduct carries consequences beyond the playing field.

The Afghan women's players described this mechanism directly. Nahida Sapan said foreign players could have refused participation to send a powerful message and put pressure on those responsible. Firooza Amiri asked players to consider which systems they might help support. In her view, joining could legitimise a system that has removed women's rights, while refusing could distinguish Afghan people from the authorities.

This influence is not automatic, and the article does not measure its effect. However, the league's international draft created a visible choice for players and boards. The ECB urged reconsideration, and Ollie Pope withdrew. Such decisions keep women's exclusion in public debate and test whether cricket bodies apply their stated values consistently.