More than three and a half years have passed since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, during which time the rights of women and girls have been “brutally” suppressed. Among the millions affected, twenty members of Afghanistan’s women’s cricket team—forced to flee their country—are now fighting in exile for their “right to play.”
According to Sky News, several of these women were under 18 when they fled. After the Taliban takeover in the summer of 2021, they were forced to destroy their medals and certificates to avoid reprisals.
Firoza Amiri, 21, one of the players, told Sky News: “We faced huge challenges. Leaving Afghanistan and starting a new life in Australia was not easy.” She had just signed her contract with Afghanistan’s national women’s team but lost everything within days and had to burn her medals.
Endless Restrictions and Deferred Dreams
Since the Taliban’s return, Afghan women and girls have been barred not only from education but also from basic freedoms such as going to parks or sports grounds. As of 7 March 2025, 1,266 days have passed since girls above grade six were banned from school, and the Taliban’s promises to reopen schools remain “meaningless.” Sports—especially cricket, once viewed as a promising path forward—have been entirely shut down for women.
Now living in Australia, Firoza and Banfasha Hashemi, 22, want only one thing: recognition as the Afghanistan Women’s Refugee Team by the International Cricket Council (ICC). “We don’t understand why they remain silent,” Firoza said. Banfasha added, “We’re not asking for anything other than our rights.” So far, their repeated requests have been ignored, and Sky News reports that the ICC has not responded to the network’s inquiries.
A Clear Double Standard: Men Play, Women Are Forgotten
While Afghanistan’s men’s cricket team continues to hold full ICC membership and competes in tournaments such as the 2025 Champions Trophy, Afghan women are barred from the field entirely. This is despite ICC regulations requiring full member nations to have a women’s team. “We are in the same position as the men,” Firoza said, “but they get to play in major tournaments and we don’t.”
Seventeen-year-old Shabnam Ehsan added: “We deserve the chance to compete at the highest level. I want to show the world that Afghan women can shine.”
Escaping Darkness, Hoping for Light
This January, the exiled players took part in a major match in Australia for the first time since fleeing Afghanistan—yet they were unable to play under their national flag, even as the Afghan flag appeared among the spectators. For them, playing cricket is not only about sport—it is a way to represent the millions of women and girls who have been erased from public life. “This is the time for the ICC to stand with us,” Firoza said. “To support our team and help us play cricket.”
A World That Has Moved On
Afghanistan no longer dominates global headlines, but Sky News warns that the fate of Afghan women and girls should weigh heavily on the world’s conscience. Nowhere else in the modern era have women’s rights been stripped away so quickly and so completely. Although some Taliban leaders have privately expressed doubts about these policies, the reality is that the group’s war on women has been its most effective strategy since the U.S. withdrawal.
Despite everything, these athletes remain hopeful. “We just want the ICC to recognize our rights,” Banfasha told Sky News. “We deserve better.”
But until international bodies like the ICC act, the dreams of these exiled cricketers will remain suspended—dreams rising from the ashes of burned medals, waiting for the day the world finally listens.
