Afghanistan’s exiled women cricketers will tour England next month, marking another step in their effort to remain active in the sport after fleeing the country following the Taliban’s return to power.
The Afghan Refugee Women’s Team is scheduled to begin the tour on June 22, taking part in training sessions and Twenty20 matches hosted by the England and Wales Cricket Board, with support from the Marylebone Cricket Club, the MCC Foundation and the sports consultancy It’s Game On.
The players will also attend the Women’s T20 World Cup final at Lord’s as guests, according to ESPNcricinfo.
The team traces its origins to November 2020, when the Afghanistan Cricket Board held women’s cricket trials in Kabul and contracted 25 female players. Those plans were effectively halted after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021 and imposed sweeping restrictions on women and girls, including barring them from organized sports.
Most of the players now live in Australia. While their campaign to gain recognition from the International Cricket Council as Afghanistan’s national women’s team in exile has not succeeded, they have continued to play together.
According to ESPNcricinfo, in January 2025, the group played as an Afghanistan Women’s XI against a Cricket Without Borders team during the Women’s Ashes series in Australia. The players also attended last year’s Women’s Cricket World Cup in India and participated in coaching programs at the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s Center of Excellence in Bengaluru.
Supporters say the England tour offers a rare opportunity for the players to compete as a team while drawing attention to the challenges faced by Afghan women athletes.
“These players have shown extraordinary courage and commitment to the game, despite everything that has been taken from them,” quoted by ESPNcricinfo, former Australia cricketer and commentator Mel Jones, a co-founder of It’s Game On.
“They deserve more opportunities like this; they deserve to be recognized as part of the global cricket community,” she said, adding that long-term support for displaced female athletes remains necessary.
Clare Connor, deputy chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board and managing director of England Women, praised the players’ resilience.
“Since being displaced from Afghanistan in 2021, these players have shown extraordinary resilience in continuing their cricket journeys in incredibly challenging circumstances,” Connor said.
“Cricket has a responsibility to stand for inclusion and opportunity, and we are proud to be hosting this tour and supporting the players in deepening their connection to the game.”
The tour comes as international sporting bodies continue to face scrutiny over Afghanistan’s participation in global competitions amidst the exclusion of women and girls from organized sport inside the country. Under International Cricket Council rules, full-member nations are generally expected to maintain both men’s and women’s cricket programs.
