6 hours Ago By Daniel Brettig
Afghanistan’s refugee women cricketers may finally be about to find out the answers to a pair of questions that have hung in the air since they fled the Taliban in 2021. How good can they be as cricketers? And can they qualify for world cups and Olympic Games? Firoza Amiri and Nahida Sapan, played for the Afghanistan XI in Melbourne in January. Credit: Getty Images for Cricket Australia For Mel Jones, the former Australian cricketer and Cricket Australia director who worked tirelessly alongside Emma Staples and Dr Catherine Ordway to get the players out of Afghanistan and then help them establish new lives in exile, the chance to dwell on those cricket questions is a huge relief.
“People understand now why we went missing from family and friends for so long,” Jones told this masthead. “Because you’re head down in visa processes. “The really beautiful parts of it is the relationships with these players now and the trust you have with them, and knowing because of those almost four years gone past, you’re now part of the exciting next phase.
Loading “So much of the past four years has been unknowns, you don’t know if they’re going to make it here, you don’t know how their health is...
whereas now we’re in a situation where there’s a little more control over next steps and opportunities. It’s nice to see these women step up and thrive after having been through so much.” After persistent lobbying, the International Cricket Council agreed last week in Harare to formally support the players, largely based in Australia, and provide avenues for them to play on the world stage.
This recognition will be led by the boards of Australia, England and India, with financial support from the ICC’s multimillion-dollar strategic fund. While an exact budget is yet to be finalised, the players will not be under-resourced. “We just have to work out what’s needed,” a source said on condition of anonymity because ICC board discussions are confidential.
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