Cricket Australia makes own stand against Taliban by cancelling men's Test against Afghanistan

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-09/cricket-australia-makes-its-own-stand-against-the-taliban/100448048

Cricket Australia's simple statement ran to just three lines but it packed a punch, putting the Taliban on notice that parading a men's team around the world as a propaganda exercise, while banning women from playing the game, would not be tolerated in Australia.

"Driving the growth of women's cricket globally is incredibly important to Cricket Australia. Our vision for cricket is that it is a sport for all and we support the game unequivocally for women at every level.

"If recent media reports that women's cricket will not be supported in Afghanistan are substantiated, Cricket Australia would have no alternative but to not host Afghanistan for the proposed Test Match due to be played in Hobart.

"We thank the Australian and Tasmanian Governments for their support on this important issue."

Cricket Australia needed some prompting, but it got there, unlike the world governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC).

In a thinly veiled message to all sports governing bodies, both domestic and international, Australia's sports minister Richard Colbeck told the ABC earlier this week: "The Taliban's attitudes towards women and their individual rights should not be accepted by the international sporting community".

The ICC is still dillydallying despite Afghanistan being in breach of the agreement that allows them a seat at the top table of international cricket.

To be confirmed as a full member of the ICC requires investment in both men's and women's cricket.

The international governing body, in its own statement, said it would discuss the issues at their next board meeting in November, allowing Afghanistan's men's team to compete in next month's T20 World Cup being hosted by the UAE and Oman.

"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."

Between now and November's board meeting will seem like an eternity for the 25 females in Afghanistan who are contracted players and the thousands of others who play the game recreationally.

Many of them are in hiding and fear for their lives under a regime that despises everything the players have advocated for: the right to play sport, the right to leave the home, the right to independence.

The spokesman for the Taliban's cultural commission told SBS earlier this week that women were allowed to leave the home for essential reasons like shopping, but playing sport was not essential.

He went further on Wednesday.

"I don't think women will be allowed to play cricket because it is not necessary that women should play cricket," Ahmadullah Wasiq said.

"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."

That is not true.

It is not Islam that does not allow women to be seen like that, merely the Taliban's strict interpretation of it.

Muslim women play sport around the world while still being committed to their faith, including in Afghanistan until three weeks ago.

While female athletes from other sports such as football, basketball, karate and taekwondo have made it out of the country, many of them being resettled in Australia, there are daily pleas for help coming from members of the cricket fraternity in Afghanistan who feel they have been forgotten.

Australia is regarded as the world's best country when it comes to supporting women's sport.

The 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup final at the MCG set a women's cricket world record with 86,174 in attendance.

At the other end of the spectrum there is Afghanistan, which only last November decided for the first time to contract female players. There are 25 of them who up until now remained on the books at the Afghanistan Cricket Board.

At the time it was cause for great celebration in the nation, particularly for Diana Barakzai, one of the founders of the national women's cricket team.

Less than a year after that historic moment she remains in hiding, too afraid to talk, and uncertain whether she'll survive long enough to hear the outcome of the ICC's November board meeting where her future, and others', will be up for "discussion".

Those at Lords will be pondering over a cup of nice Earl Grey tea as what to do in this situation, it's a tricky one,  to back women being allowed to play sport or not

The Talibans could at least allow women to play sport in Burkas, i would like to see the Burka 11 here providing they are frisked.

And in comes DK Burka, (one of Mohamads wives) and it looks like it's going to be hand grenade bouncer right to the neck!

Setanta wrote on Sep 11^th, 2021 at 8:49pm:

Good observation, going on those shadows it's almost afternoon tea at the Taliban oval and the 22 yards is carefully chained out.

We should tell the Taliban we only want the Afghan burked womens 11 here.