Pune, India – Afghanistan’s coach has instilled a strong belief in his team that they are not just participating in the World Cup to make up the numbers but to compete and defeat other teams, regardless of their reputation. This belief, along with their cricketing skills, has contributed to Afghanistan’s success in the tournament, with four victories after losing their first two matches against Bangladesh and India. Now, they face Australia with confidence, a prospect that seemed unlikely before.
However, there is a political dilemma surrounding Afghanistan’s match against Australia, as the Australian governing body has canceled bilateral fixtures with the Afghan men’s team twice in the past two years due to the Taliban government’s policies on women. The cancellation of a one-off Test and a three-match ODI series was made after consulting the Australian government and female Afghanistan cricketers who fled to Australia. While bilateral series do not affect qualification for world tournaments, World Cup matches have significant consequences.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2001 and was granted full membership in 2017, which allowed the men’s team to receive greater funding and play Test cricket. However, the Taliban’s policies on women have created a challenging situation for the ICC, which emphasizes the growth of professionalism in the women’s game. When Afghanistan received full membership, there were no clear guidelines for the formation of a women’s national team or pathway.
Without specific targets or timelines to reinstate a women’s program, it is difficult to see how progress can be made unless the Taliban eases its policies or there is a change in government. The most drastic action would be the suspension of Afghanistan’s membership, although there is limited support for such a measure. Another option is for the ICC to withhold and allocate a portion of Afghanistan’s funding for women’s cricket in the future. Discussions on Afghanistan’s situation are ongoing, but finding a solution that advances women’s cricket without penalizing the men’s team is complex.
In the meantime, the match between Afghanistan and Australia at Wankhede stadium may be one of the few occasions where the two teams meet on the field. Afghanistan’s coach refrains from commenting on the politics behind Australia’s decisions but emphasizes that his team respects every opposition and aims to be good ambassadors for the game and the country. The support for Afghanistan in India and around the world has been remarkable.