Women Cricket To Be 'Banned' Says Taliban Official. ACB 'Still Awaiting Instructions' From New Govt

Afghanistan Women Cricket: There is no confirmation about Afghanistan women's cricket as of yet, despite the Taliban official speaking against it.

Afghanistan women play cricket in Herat. (File Photo/ Twitter: @khurramm_zubair)

Afghanistan women will not be allowed to play cricket and will be effectively "banned" according to a Taliban official. Deputy head of Taliban’s cultural commission, Ahmadullah Wasiq was speaking on Australian broadcaster SBS where he said that women's cricket was neither appropriate nor necessary. 

Afghanistan has a great men's cricket team that has qualified for the upcoming T20 Cricket World Cup even above teams like Sri Lanka. The women's team was banned in 2010 due to political reasons but it was reinstated in 2020 after Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) provided 25 women cricketers with contracts. 

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

“It is the media era, and there will be photos and videos, and then people watch it. Islam and the Islamic Emirate [Afghanistan] do not allow women to play cricket or play the kind of sports where they get exposed," he continued. 

Afghanistan Cricket Board Waits For Confirmation On Women Cricket

Although Wasiq has said that women's cricket will be banned, there isn't any official position taken by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on the matter. "Its (women's cricket) future will be decided by the new government. We are still in an emergency state in the country. Whenever we get to a normal state, that decision will be made," ACB chief executive Hamid Shinwari told Reuters. 

"So far, whatever message we've received, is of support for the game," he added. 

The ACB chief suggested that the Taliban is not averse to the idea of cricket and understands the boost that the sport provides to the economy. Shinwari said that men's cricket has been allowed to continue but there is no confirmation yet on the continuation of women's cricket.