Afghanistan: Taliban may allow women to play cricket

Kabul: Afghanistan Cricket Board Chairman Azizullah Fazli on Friday hinted that women team will be allowed to play cricket.

Talking to an Australian broadcaster, he said that the governing council will decide the rules before allowing women to play the sport, NDTV reported.

Speaking about the cricket team, Fazli said that all 25 women are in Afghanistan as they had decided not to leave the country on evacuation flights.

Exact details on how women will be allowed to play cricket will be shared later, he added.

It seems that the Taliban has taken U-turn on the issue. Earlier, deputy head of the Taliban’s cultural commission Ahmadullah Wasiq said that it is not necessary for women to play sport.  

Soon after Wasiq’s comment, Australia threatened to cancel men’s test between two countries.

It may be mentioned that under International Cricket Council regulations, countries with Test status should also have an active women’s team.

Rally in support of Taliban in Kabul

Meanwhile, around 300 women, wearing black veils marched on the streets of Kabul and later sat at the Kabul university lecture theatre, asserting their support to the Taliban leadership, especially on gender segregation.

The women were carrying with them Taliban flags while the speakers criticized the west for what they called, an illegal invasion of Afghanistan.

The Taliban heavily guarded pro-Taliban rally.

Earlier, a women-led anti-Taliban protest rally was blocked and stopped whereas its participants which include journalists were assaulted by the Taliban security personal.