MUMBAI: And here we were thinking that the the hardline extremist Taliban, which has taken over Afghanistan, would “zip their collective lips” on the status of women in sport. At least until next month’s ICC T20 World Cup kicked off.
That is not to be though and the International Cricket Council clearly has a problem on its hands.
The Taliban confirmed Wednesday that women will NOT be allowed to play cricket or any other sport, throwing into doubt not just November’s historic men’s cricket Test between Australia and Afghanistan, but also raises questions of propriety around the participation of the Afghan team in the T20 World Cup.
In an interview with Australia’s SBS News, Ahmadullah Wasiq, deputy head of the Taliban’s cultural commission, said that sport is not seen as something that is important for women (emphasis ours).
“I don’t think women will be allowed to play cricket because it is not necessary that women should play cricket,” Wasiq told SBS News.
“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.
“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.”
Wasiq’s comments have put the future of Afghanistan’s men’s cricket team also in doubt.
To a query posed by SportzPower on the matter, the ICC issued the following statement: “The ICC is committed to the long-term growth of women’s cricket and despite the cultural and religious challenges in Afghanistan, steady progress had been made in this area since Afghanistan’s admission as a Full Member in 2017.
“The ICC has been monitoring the changing situation in Afghanistan and is concerned to note recent media reports that women will no longer be allowed to play cricket. This, and the impact it will have on the continued development of the game, will be discussed by the ICC Board at its next meeting.”
As already noted by SportzPower, the ICC requires all of its full members to have a national women’s team in order to retain their member status.
As to how this will likely pan out, the ICC does have a precedent for allowing cricket to continue despite its national body being suspended (e.g. Nepal / USA) so that may be an option for the board. While in the normal course, the ICC would need to consider what is the best way to get women’s cricket back up and running, by suspending relations or working through the member board and using cricket to support women’s rights, this definitely does not apply the Taliban, considering that fanatical absolutism determines its public positions.
On the BIG question of whether a team from Afghanistan will play in the upcoming T20 World Cup, the fact that the ICC will perforce have to ensure that “due process” is fully followed before any definitive decision is made, it can be taken as good as a given that Afghan cricket superstar Rashid Khan and his teammates will indeed be seen in action at the mega event.
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