Afghan Refugee Cricket Team Tours England

Why this is here: The team includes over 20 players who have been exiled in Australia since 2021, following the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s sports.

More than 20 exiled members of the Afghanistan women’s national cricket team will tour England starting June 22. The team left Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power in 2021 and banned women from participating in sports. They previously played a competitive match in Melbourne in January 2025 and trained in India during the 50-over World Cup.

The England and Wales Cricket Board organized the tour, which includes T20 matches and training. Players will also attend the T20 World Cup final held in England. The International Cricket Council formed a taskforce with support from the ECB and Cricket Australia to provide financial assistance to the displaced players.

The ICC still requires Afghanistan to have a national women’s team to maintain Test status, but the future of the dedicated fund supporting the exiled cricketers remains unclear. The team hopes the ICC will follow FIFA’s lead and allow them to compete internationally as Afghanistan.