The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has urged the full members of the International Cricket Board (ICC) to support the Afghanistan cause in the next month’s crucial meeting where the cricketing future of the country will be decided.
Afghan board chairman Azizullah Fazli said, “ACB is committed to working for the development of cricket in the country and hope the ICC full members will provide their support.”
Fazli said last month the ACB was committed to women’s cricket but was awaiting instructions from the Taliban government on its future.
The war-torn nation’s extraordinary rise has been cricket’s biggest fairytale story in recent times but Afghanistan risks isolation from cricket following the country’s Taliban takeover in August.
Cricket Australia (CA) has already threatened (ACB) to cancel next month’s one-off Test in Hobart between the men’s teams if the new Taliban government did not allow women to play the sport.
World governing body ICC had taken a wait-and-watch approach on whether Afghanistan can continue as a full member of the ICC that permit them to play Test matches. However, the International Cricket body has decided that they will discuss the issue at a board meeting after the Twenty20 World Cup in the Middle East.
Taliban officials have said that they would not prevail the harsh and strict rule of the previous Taliban government, which banned most girls’ education and forbade women from going out in public without a male guardian.
The Hobart Test
CA chief executive Nick Hockley said that the Hobart Test was likely to be postponed until there was more clarity on the impact of the Taliban takeover on sports in Afghanistan.
Fazli said that he would meet CA officials in the Twenty20 World Cup and will persuade them to continue with the schedule.
Fazli said, “We are in touch with the CA management regarding the test match, and soon we will meet CA leadership to discuss it and further the friendship of CA and ACB.”
The ACB chief also assured that the ongoing moot would not affect the performance of the Afghanistan team under captain Mohammad Nabi.
