ICC warned boycott of Afghanistan men’s team "won’t help women to play cricket"

The ICC has been urged not to ban Afghanistan's men from playing international cricket if the Taliban prevents women from playing the sport.

Tuba Sangar was the Afghanistan Cricket Board's women's development manager, but left her role to flee to Canada after the Taliban took control.

Speaking to the BBC Stumped podcast, Sangar explained why there should not be a boycott of the men's team.

"If the ICC or other countries boycott Afghanistan cricket, it won't help women to play cricket," she said.

Australia are due to play Afghanistan's men in a one-off Test match in November and they released a statement threatening to cancel the game after the deputy head of the Taliban's cultural commission, Ahmadullah Wasiq, said "it is not necessary" for women to play cricket.

When asked about Australia's statement and whether refusing to play Afghanistan's men would help women, Sangar said: "On the one hand it's good for the women's team – we're thankful they support us.

"On the other hand, I think the Afghanistan men's team have done a lot for Afghanistan. Because of them, we know cricket. Because of our men's team, I know that women should play as well.

"A woman in Afghanistan knows about cricket because of the men's team. When Afghanistan men win a match, girls are thinking 'one day I should play for Afghanistan too'.

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"If other countries, other worlds, take this from Afghanistan, I don't think it will help. It will destroy the hope of the Afghanistan people."

"The Taliban don't allow women to play cricket so the world doesn't allow men to play cricket. From both sides, Afghanistan's people will have lost the opportunity [to play]."

Reflecting on the situation for women's cricket in Afghanistan, Sangar adds: "People just love cricket. And they are supportive for men's cricket but most people were against women's cricket.

"People think a woman is not physically fit for playing cricket. The way they wear the clothes of cricket – people think it isn't good for women. But our girls, these talented girls showed them they can play cricket."

"All the time people told us 'you're not able to play cricket. Go study and cook, you're not good to play cricket.' But all the time I told them, 'we're not playing against men, we're playing against women'.

"The main problem was the culture and mindset of people, and they had doubt on our ability. But we had hope that one day we could play for Afghanistan. But right now, there is no hope."

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