A funding promise by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to support Afghan women cricketers in exile has sparked hope for recognition and the opportunity to compete on international grounds. One of the players, welcoming the support, told Reuters: “This news has given us a lot of confidence for the future.”
Naheeda Sapan, a member of the exiled Afghanistan women’s cricket team, told Reuters on Wednesday, April 16 (Hamal 27): “We feel valued and inspired. This news gave us a lot of confidence about the future. Some of the girls were crying because we’ve worked so hard.”
She was one of 25 women who signed contracts with the Afghanistan Cricket Board in 2020, hoping to one day join the international stage like the men’s team. Most of them have since started new lives in Australia, while others have settled in Canada and the UK.
Naheeda noted that none of the players from the Afghan men’s cricket team had contacted them to congratulate them on the ICC’s funding promise—but she added that the political context made this understandable.
“It’s a difficult situation,” she said. “We know the situation in Afghanistan and in cricket. The Taliban do not want them to support the women’s team. If they do, the men’s games might be stopped too.”
The International Cricket Council recently announced the creation of a special fund to support Afghan women cricketers. While the ICC has not yet released financial details or a timeline for distributing the aid, players are hopeful this pledge marks the beginning of a major turning point for women’s cricket.
