New Delhi: Afghanistan men’s cricket team captain Hashmatullah Shahidi advocated for the rights of women’s cricketers back in his country. He also admitted that things were beyond their control as Afghanistan is currently governed by Taliban.
Ever since the Taliban took over the rule in the Asian nation in 2021, there have been stringent laws for women citizens and sports has been no exception. Afghanistan women cricketers were forced to flee away from the country after the Taliban regime banned women’s sports and education there.
On January 30, 2025, many of the Afghanistan women players, who left the country, recently played a charity match in Australia. This was the first time the players played a cricket match in what they saw a moment of change in their lives. 22 of the 25 players contracted players (with the Afghanistan Cricket Board in 2020) have moved to either Melbourne or Canberra.
“Yeah, everyone likes to see everyone play,” Shahid told the media here when asked if the exiled Afghanistan women’s team should be allowed to play the game.
“As I said before, when it comes to politics and those things which we cannot control – we are only cricket players we can control things in the ground and we belong to the ground and we are always trying to give our best when we play,” he added.
Recalling the boycott demands ahead of England vs Afghanistan
As Afghanistan will face England on Thursday for their Champions Trophy Group B match in Lahore, it is time to rewind how many parliamentarians in England had demanded that England men’s team must boycott this match because of Taliban’s stance on women in their country. However, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said that it will adhere to the ICC regulations as the tournament is organised by the global governing body and the team will continue to avoid any bilateral series with the Asian team.
When Shahidi was asked to comment upon such calls (from British lawmakers) impacting their game, the Afghanistan skipper mentioned that the team knows one thing and that’s to play hard.
“We are cricket players, we are sportspersons, we are sportsmen. So, we control what we can do inside the ground. So, we don’t worry about what’s happening out of the ground. And that cannot do anything to our confidence.
“We play hard, we work hard, we have good net sessions. So that’s what we’re thinking of and we only can do what we can do in the ground,” said the left-handed batter.
Afghanistan lost their first match of the Champions Trophy against South Africa by 107 runs. The team is in a must-win situation to keep their semifinal chances alive.
Hashmatullah Shahidi, captain of the Afghanistan men’s cricket team, reacted to the rights of Afghanistan women cricketers under the Taliban rule in the country. He acknowledged the political complexities beyond their control, emphasising the team’s focus on playing cricket. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
