Dylan Bettencourt
Afghanistan’s new Taliban government has said that the men’s cricket series against Pakistan next month will go ahead as planned.
But the same cannot be said about the nation’s female cricketing team, as the future of women’s sports in the war-ravaged country hangs in the balance.
Afghanistan Cricket Board head of media operations Hikmat Hassan said the Taliban has informed their organisation that they will not interfere with the one-day series in Sri Lanka next month.
“The Taliban have told us that we can continue our work as planned. We are confident we will be able to take part and will be preparing for it over the coming weeks,” Hassan said.
During their previous time in power from 1996-2001, the Taliban barred all women and girls from working or going to school, as well as forcing them to wear all-covering burqas. Females could also only leave their homes when accompanied by a male.
The Taliban said that they will respect women’s rights under Islamic Law, but they did not provide any indication as to whether women’s sports will be allowed, according to the Daily Maverick.
Afghanistan’s own version of the famous Indian Premier League (IPL), called the Shpageeza Cricket League (SCL), will be played during a two-week period from 10 to 25 September.
“Given the current problems in Afghanistan, it is an opportunity to bring the country together, bring some joy to the people and put on a remarkable spectacle,” Hassan said.
Image source: @Rediffmail
