London, Feb 01 (V7N) — Afghanistan’s exiled women cricketers will be the first to receive support from a newly launched Global Refugee Cricket Fund, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) announced on Friday.

The initiative comes as hundreds of female athletes fled Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021, escaping a regime that has effectively banned women’s sports and education.

Most members of the Afghan women’s national cricket team resettled in Australia, where they reunited on Thursday in Melbourne for a charity match—marking their first game together in exile.

Supporting Afghan Women Cricketers

The MCC’s new campaign will initially focus on raising funds for Pitch Our Future, an Australian-led program that provides training facilities and educational opportunities for the former Afghan women’s team.

The fund aims to collect an initial £1 million ($1.2 million) through contributions from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), corporate sponsorships, government grants, and donations from international cricket boards.

MCC interim chief executive Rob Lynch said:

"The Global Refugee Cricket Fund represents a vital step forward in our mission to use cricket as a force for good."

Clare Connor, ECB deputy chief executive and former England captain, echoed that sentiment:

"The cricket community must take action to support the brave Afghan women and to give hope that cricket can be a sport for any woman or girl.

The Taliban’s effective ban on female participation in sports has put the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) at odds with International Cricket Council (ICC) rules, which require full member nations to support both men’s and women’s cricket.

Despite this, Afghanistan’s men’s team continues to compete internationally. The England men’s team has faced calls to boycott their Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan on February 26 in Lahore. However, the game is expected to proceed.

Both the ECB and Cricket Australia have refused to play bilateral series against Afghanistan’s men’s team but will compete against them in global tournaments. A boycott of an ICC event match could result in teams being docked competition points.

With the launch of the refugee cricket fund, supporters hope Afghan women cricketers will one day have a future in the sport, even as their homeland remains off-limits.

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