"If we don't have a male team any more, there would be no hope for cricket overall," said the 28-year-old, who was the director of women's cricket at the Afghanistan Cricket Board from 2014-2020. This time round, the hardline Islamists have shown they do not mind men playing cricket, pulling together a match in the capital Kabul shortly after foreign forces withdrew. The Afghan men's team is also scheduled to play the T20 World Cup from October 17 to November 14 in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) last week urged Australia not to punish its men's team, saying it was "powerless to change the culture and religious environment of Afghanistan". The men's team now rank in the world's top 10 for both one-day internationals and Twenty20 games.

Source: Bangkok Post September 15, 2021 03:33 UTC