With Afghanistan cricket being one of International Cricket Council's major success stories in recent times, the return of Taliban in the country and its decisions on the sport, have put the ICC in a wait-and-watch mode. Amid media reports of women being banned by the Taliban to play cricket and with no communication from Afghanistan Cricket Board so far, the situation is unclear. So enthused has the cricket body and the world been over the development of the game in last decade or so that Afghanistan was even granted full member and Test status in June 2017, along with Ireland by the ICC.
Cricket Australia was first to react to the media reports, a day after Taliban's cultural commission deputy head Ahmadullah Wasiq was quoted as saying that it wasn’t necessary for women to play cricket. Australia said that it will not host the Afghanistan men's team next month if women are not allowed to play the game under Taliban rule. "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," the CA said.
Asked for its stand over the issue, an ICC spokesperson expressed dismay at Wasiq's statement and said the situation in the country will be discussed at its upcoming Executive Board's meeting during the T20 World Cup next month. "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.”
The ICC T20 WC is scheduled to be held in the UAE from October 17 to November 14. While the event is being played in the UAE, the host nation continues to be India since BCCI has the hosting rights for this edition but the prevailing COVID-19 situation had forced it to shift the venue to the UAE.
It remains to be seen whether the Afghanistan team will be able to play in the competition. Its first match of the T20 WC is in Sharjah on October 25.
According to a well-placed ICC source, the world body is not in a position to take any quick decision on the issue of possible suspension of Afghanistan from ICC. "The Executive Board has to take a call on it. It can only be suspended on the basis of government interference. However, any suspension, if at all it takes place, does not mean Afghanistan team cannot play in the tournament."
The source gave the example of Nepal and USA - the cricket boards of both countries had been suspended in the past by ICC but the teams were allowed to participate in ICC qualifiers. "In case ACB does get suspended due to Taliban takeover, can ICC have an ad-hoc body in place? Is it possible to have a body run cricketing activities there? So many questions need to be looked into. How will suspension help Afghanistan cricket and cricketers?" asked the source. The Taliban government has not yet officially stated its position on cricket matters or on ACB. "It’s a very fluid situation. If countries like Australia individually take decisions, ICC cannot interfere," the source added.
For India and BCCI, it is a tricky situation. The Indian government has invested a lot in building cricket infrastructure in Afghanistan as part of its soft diplomacy. Afghan players like Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman and Mohammed Nabi play in the IPL. Further, BCCI is the host nation of the upcoming T20 WC. While the players will continue to play in the respective IPL teams, what shape and direction India-Afghanistan cricketing ties take, remains to be seen.
