Afghan Women Cricketers Tour England, Push for Recognition

Women who once fled Afghanistan with nothing but their lives are about to play cricket in its birthplace, fighting for recognition that could inspire millions.

The Afghanistan Women's XI leaves for England this month, five years after escaping Kabul as the Taliban seized power in 2021. They'll play matches during the T20 Women's World Cup, though they can't compete in it.

The International Cricket Council won't officially recognize the team because the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan Cricket Board refuses to acknowledge them. Without that recognition, these athletes remain invisible to the sport they love.

"If they recognize us, there will be a lot of hope and energy for other girls living inside Afghanistan," says Canberra-based player Benafsha Hashimi. The timing of their tour is strategic, coinciding with the ICC's annual conference in Scotland where decisions about recognition could happen.

Team manager Emma Staples sees this as cricket's chance to lead. "The ICC now have such a great opportunity to be courageous, put the politics aside and actually invest in these young women," she says.

Canada-based player Roya Samim puts it simply: "This is a light. They can shut it down or they can make it brighter."

The Ripple Effect

The team's journey started with their first match together in January 2025 at Melbourne's Junction Oval. That game drew Australia's governor-general and international press coverage.

The ICC responded by creating an Afghanistan women's cricket initiative, pooling resources from Cricket Australia, England's ECB, and India's BCCI. The program funds training, travel, and these crucial "engagement opportunities."

But that funding ends in August. What happens next gets decided at July's conference.

One possibility mirrors what FIFA just accomplished. In April, FIFA cleared the way for Afghanistan's women's football team to return to international competition, another diaspora team that fled and fought for recognition.

The women will play at Wormsley Cricket Ground in Buckinghamshire and Cambridge University. Their visibility matters as much as their performance.

Emma Staples wants a three to five year commitment that explores engaging the global Afghan diaspora while working toward full ICC recognition. "So they're eligible for world cups," she explains.

Since retaking power, the Taliban have stripped Afghan women of employment, education, and basic freedoms in what human rights groups call "gender apartheid." For girls still in Afghanistan, this team represents possibility.

These cricketers are playing for more than runs and wickets—they're playing for every girl back home living in the dark, waiting for hope to return.