Afghanistan ICC Full Member Status is Likely Unaffected – At the next ICC board meetings in March when the ICC’s working group on Afghanistan will provide a renovation on advancement in the country. As an ICC Full Member Afghanistan not having a women’s team has put up questions about their rank.
Afghanistan’s standing as a Full Member of the International Criminal Court is unlikely to be affected by the Taliban’s rule, which prevents the development of a women’s national team.
The International Criminal Court’s working group on Afghanistan will brief the board on progress in the country at their March meeting in Dubai.
According to sources, the delegation, led by the ICC’s vice chair Imran Khwaja, will advocate for not penalizing Afghanistan’s status and offer more light on the challenges the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) faces in its efforts to grow the women’s game.
In recent months khwaja interacted with ACB officials and government representatives in Doha twice to get a clearer handle on the broader situation for cricket.
In this meeting, they discussed how they can help women to play cricket. Those meetings are believed to have been “meaningful”, according to one official who attended.
In February, the ACB informed the ICC’s working group that it still supports women’s cricket, but political circumstances make an overt campaign problematic.
Afghanistan ICC Full Member Status is Likely Unaffected – Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB)
“Afghanistan is a challenging environment,” Irish ICC board member and working group member Ross McCollum told “ACB men support women’s cricket. But the government is to fault.
“If forced to play cricket, women could suffer. Being cautious will slow it down. “
Secondary and Higher Education for Females
Secondary and higher education for females was disallowed throughout the country. Nonetheless, the ICC working group was informed that the Taliban disagrees about women’s role in society and that women can work in medical fields. No sport has achieved that.
Women’s cricket had barely progressed when the Taliban took power. At a national team trial camp in October 2020, the ACB announced 25 central contracts for women.
Officials noted that cultural sensitivities were hindering faster, deeper growth, even though Afghanistan had been a Full Member for three years.
The working committee learned that the Taliban are not influencing ACB operations. International sanctions made it hard to get money into the country when the Taliban gained power, so the government helped aboard.
Only Zimbabwe has been suspended or degraded as a Full Member. In recent months, Afghanistan has been repeatedly emphasized as the sole Full Member without a women’s squad or set-up, which is part of the ICC’s membership criterion.
Afghanistan ICC Full Member Status is Likely Unaffected – Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB)
Australia canceled an ODI series against Afghanistan due to female education prohibition.
At January’s inaugural U19 T20 Women’s World Cup and the subsequent T20 Women’s World Cup, they were the only member without a presence.
The CEO of the ICC, Geoff Allardice, acknowledged as much before the U19 tournament, saying that the lack of movement on the issue was alarming.
The International Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) has stated that Afghanistan is “in breach” of its Full Member standards due to the prohibition on women’s sports.
However, it did not advocate for a blanket ban on Afghanistan but rather urged the ICC to “embed its human rights duties as a business in its governance and regulatory systems.”
Some Afghan female cricketers have made it known that they want the ICC to take a more active role in the country’s cricketing future. The Ticket, a sports program broadcast on ABC Radio, reports that 22 of the initial 25 cricketers have since relocated to Australia.
In January, several of the players appeared on the show and expressed confusion as to the ICC’s lack of contact since their departure.
One of the players, Firooza Afghan, remarked on the show that continuing to play cricket is conceivable if they receive assistance from the Afghanistan Cricket Board, the International Cricket Council, the people of Afghanistan, and other cricket-playing countries.
Afghanistan ICC Full Member Status is Likely Unaffected – Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB)
“Here in Australia, we have access to a plethora of resources, including advanced machinery and convenient locations. Nevertheless, I have a question:
in Afghanistan, women have played cricket since 2010. It’s puzzling that the ICC hasn’t dispatched anyone to see how we’re doing.”
A few months ago, the players penned a letter to the ICC, asking how the international organization might facilitate the women’s team’s formation.
The ICC noted that the ACB is a member and that any assistance would have to go through them, but they still want to maintain the lines of communication open with the cricketers.
The current ICC administration has given this issue a lot of thought, and they are considering supporting a women’s team that operates outside of Afghanistan, without the ACB’s involvement.
To put that into effect, the ICC board would need to agree with the first exploratory thinking that has already taken place.
There, the ACB continues to enjoy widespread acceptance and comprehension.
Afghanistan ICC Full Member Status is Likely Unaffected – Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB)
Members reaffirmed their commitment at the most recent gathering of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). In light of Australia’s decision to cancel an ODI series, Pakistan has agreed to play a three-match T20I series with Afghanistan.
In reaction to the Taliban’s policies, only Cricket Australia’s governing body has taken any sort of public action. In response to the education ban enforced on females, they first postponed a one-off Test they were to host Afghanistan in and then canceled the ODI series.
Except for South Africa, the other ICC Full Members have been mostly quiet on the issue, with the majority continuing to view the success of the Afghan men’s team as something of a fairytale that should be allowed to continue and grow rather than restricted.
McCollum argued that this issue required significant consideration from the board. “The meaning will vary depending on the Full Member. To me, this is not a simple choice because of the many factors involved.”
