Afghanistan women’s cricket team to play historic match in Melbourne

In a landmark moment for Afghan women’s cricket, a team of Afghan refugees residing in Australia is set to reunite for the first time since fleeing their homeland following the Taliban's takeover in 2021.

The Afghanistan Women’s XI will face a Cricket Without Borders XI in a T20 exhibition match on January 30 at Melbourne's Junction Oval.

The match is scheduled just ahead of the opening day of the floodlit Women’s Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and marks a significant step in rebuilding the cricketing aspirations of the players who now live in Canberra and Melbourne. While many of these women play for local cricket clubs, they have not been able to assemble as a representative team until now.

Cricket Australia (CA), with support from the Australian government, has played a pivotal role in organizing the event.

"Many people across cricket and the community have come together to provide support for members of the Afghanistan women's team since their relocation to Australia and this match will be a celebration of that work," Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley said.

"I'm delighted that their ambition to play together will be achieved in this exhibition match which will be a wonderful addition to the many events around the Day/Night Women's Ashes Test."

Earlier this year, 17 players who were previously contracted by the Afghanistan Cricket Board in 2020 appealed to the International Cricket Council (ICC) for assistance in forming a refugee team in Australia. In their letter, the players expressed their hopes to inspire Afghan women through cricket and to compete at an elite level.

"Our goals in having a refugee team are to develop and showcase our talent, give hope to the women remaining in Afghanistan, and to draw attention to the challenges women of Afghanistan face," the letter said. "Like the Afghanistan men's team, we aim to compete at the highest levels. We want to recruit and train girls and women who love cricket to show the world the talent of Afghan women, and to demonstrate the great victories they can achieve if given a chance through the leadership and financial support of the ICC."

This announcement coincides with Cricket Australia’s partnership with UNICEF Australia under the "Until Every Girl Can Play" campaign, which aims to promote gender equality through sport.