Latest news with #NahidaSapan
Khaleej Times
16-04-2025
- Sport
- Khaleej Times
Exiled Afghan women welcome funding pledge with hope and tears
A funding pledge from the International Cricket Council (ICC) has given Afghanistan's exiled women cricketers hope of recognition and the chance to play on the international stage in defiance of the Taliban. The game's global governing body said on Sunday it would set up a dedicated fund to support the Afghan women, most of whom have resettled in Australia after fleeing Afghanistan when the Taliban swept to power in 2021. The ICC declined to provide financial details or a timeline for the disbursement of funds but the players are hopeful the pledge will prove a watershed for the women's game. "We feel inspired and valued," Nahida Sapan, one of the refugee cricketers based in Melbourne, told Reuters. "This news gave us a lot of confidence for the future. "We messaged each other and called each other about it. Some of the girls were crying because we worked really hard for it." Sapan was among 25 women contracted by the Afghanistan cricket board in 2020 who hoped to follow the men's team by playing on the game's global stage. Most have started new lives in Australia, with some moving to Britain and Canada. Captained by Sapan, the Australia-based cricketers played an exhibition match in January against a team arranged by Cricket Without Borders, a non-profit organisation supporting the women's game. It was their first match since fleeing Afghanistan, and while it lacked international recognition it was facilitated by Cricket Australia and supported by local government officials. Afghanistan has an established men's team which enjoys ICC funding despite human rights groups calling on the governing body to suspend the nation's membership and ban them from playing in international cricket. Australia and other countries refuse to play the Afghanistan men's team in bilateral series citing deteriorating human rights for women in the county, where female sport has been crushed. Since returning to power in 2021 the Taliban have restricted women's access to education and work, curbed their movement and forced them to cover their faces and bodies. The Taliban say they respect women's rights in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law and local customs. The ICC said it will work with the Indian, Australian and England cricket boards to set up a taskforce aimed at sustaining the Afghan women's cricket careers but steered clear of acknowledging the players' hopes of recognition. It declined to comment on whether there was a pathway to recognition for them. Sapan said no cricketers from the Afghanistan men's squad had reached out to congratulate the women over the funding pledge. But that was understandable given the politics involved, she added. "It's difficult. We know about the Afghanistan situation. We know about the cricket situation in Afghanistan because, you know, the Taliban don't want Afghanistan cricket board to support the women's team," she said. "If they support the women's team they might not be able to continue (playing) their matches and it will be like closing the cricket board door for all men."
Reuters
16-04-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Exiled Afghan women welcome funding pledge with hope and tears
MELBOURNE, April 16 (Reuters) - A funding pledge from the International Cricket Council (ICC) has given Afghanistan's exiled women cricketers hope of recognition and the chance to play on the international stage in defiance of the Taliban. The game's global governing body said on Sunday it would set up a dedicated fund to support the Afghan women, most of whom have resettled in Australia after fleeing Afghanistan when the Taliban swept to power in 2021. The ICC declined to provide financial details or a timeline for the disbursement of funds but the players are hopeful the pledge will prove a watershed for the women's game. "We feel inspired and valued," Nahida Sapan, one of the refugee cricketers based in Melbourne, told Reuters. "This news gave us a lot of confidence for the future. "We messaged each other and called each other about it. Some of the girls were crying because we worked really hard for it." Sapan was among 25 women contracted by the Afghanistan cricket board in 2020 who hoped to follow the men's team by playing on the game's global stage. Most have started new lives in Australia, with some moving to Britain and Canada. Captained by Sapan, the Australia-based cricketers played an exhibition match in January against a team arranged by Cricket Without Borders, a non-profit organisation supporting the women's game. It was their first match since fleeing Afghanistan, and while it lacked international recognition it was facilitated by Cricket Australia and supported by local government officials. 'CLOSING THE DOOR' Afghanistan has an established men's team which enjoys ICC funding despite human rights groups calling on the governing body to suspend the nation's membership and ban them from playing in international cricket. Australia and other countries refuse to play the Afghanistan men's team in bilateral series citing deteriorating human rights for women in the county, where female sport has been crushed. Since returning to power in 2021 the Taliban have restricted women's access to education and work, curbed their movement and forced them to cover their faces and bodies. The Taliban say they respect women's rights in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law and local customs. The ICC said it will work with the Indian, Australian and England cricket boards to set up a taskforce aimed at sustaining the Afghan women's cricket careers but steered clear of acknowledging the players' hopes of recognition. It declined to comment on whether there was a pathway to recognition for them. Sapan said no cricketers from the Afghanistan men's squad had reached out to congratulate the women over the funding pledge. But that was understandable given the politics involved, she added. "It's difficult. We know about the Afghanistan situation. We know about the cricket situation in Afghanistan because, you know, the Taliban don't want Afghanistan cricket board to support the women's team," she said.
Al Jazeera
30-01-2025
- Sport
- Al Jazeera
Afghan women cricketers reunite in first game after fleeing Taliban
Afghanistan's women cricketers have played their first game since fleeing their country after the Taliban's takeover three years ago, coming together for a charity match in Australia that captain Nahida Sapan hoped would prompt 'a movement for change'. Hundreds of women athletes fled Afghanistan as the Taliban took over in August 2021, escaping a hardline stance that essentially banned women's sports and education. Most of the national women's cricket side settled as refugees in Australia, where they reunited for the first time on Thursday to play a charity match in Melbourne. 'Together, we're building not just a team, we're building a movement for change and promise,' Sapan said in the run-up to the game. 'We have big hopes for this match because this match can open doors for Afghan women in education and sport in the future.' The Afghanistan Cricket Board made a significant stride in November 2020 when it handed 25 promising women cricketers professional contracts. But before the fledgling squad had a chance to play together, the Taliban captured capital Kabul and declared an end to women's cricket. 'The situation in Afghanistan is terrible. Women don't have their rights. 'I can live freely in Australia and live my life the way I want. 'But back home in Afghanistan… I can only say it is very heartbreaking and very hard to live in that situation.' Diana Barakzai, who helped found Afghanistan's first women's cricket programme almost 20 years ago, said the match was an 'amazing moment'. 'I'm sure it's a big message for the world, that the world will do something for Afghan women,' she told the AFP news agency. 'Especially for opening the school doors, opening up work for women.' Of the 25 women once contracted by the Afghanistan Cricket Board, 22 are now settled in the Australian cities of Melbourne and Canberra. Some of these players have lobbied the governing International Cricket Council (ICC) in the hopes of forming a refugee team with some kind of official status. 'A profound sadness remains that we, as women, cannot represent our country like the male cricketers,' some players wrote in a joint letter last year. 'The creation of this team will allow all Afghan women who want to represent their country to come together under one banner.' The ICC has so far ignored these calls. Thursday's game was played at Melbourne's Junction Oval, a storied ground where a young Shane Warne once plied his trade. The Afghan side played an invitational outfit representing Cricket Without Borders, a charity that aims to draw young women into the game. Governing body Cricket Australia threw its weight behind the match, pledging to 'advocate' for the Afghan women's side at the highest levels. 'I'm just so proud of everyone across Australian cricket who's worked to support the players since they've been in Australia,' Chief Executive Officer Nick Hockley said earlier this week. Citing human rights concerns, Australia has in recent years boycotted a series of non-tournament fixtures against the Afghanistan men's side.
Reuters
30-01-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Afghan refugees bat for recognition and women's rights in Melbourne match
MELBOURNE, Jan 30 (Reuters) - A few miles from the Melbourne Cricket Ground where Australia and England started the women's Ashes test on Thursday, a group of Afghan refugee cricketers played their first match as a team since fleeing Taliban rule. The players of the Afghanistan Women's XI were among hundreds of athletes who fled their home nation when the Taliban returned to power in 2021, bringing sweeping restrictions on women. Advertisement · Scroll to continue Of the 25 Afghan women contracted by the country's cricket board in 2020, most resettled in Australia with humanitarian visas, starting new lives in Melbourne and other cities. While Afghanistan has an established men's team and enjoys funding from the International Cricket Council (ICC), the women are unfunded and unsanctioned by the global body despite pleas for support from the players. Their exhibition match at the Junction Oval on Thursday against a team arranged by Cricket Without Borders, a non-profit supporting women cricketers, was facilitated by Cricket Australia and carried no status. Still, captain Nahida Sapan said it should give hope to women in Afghanistan where sport has been disbanded and girls are banned from secondary education. "It means a lot for Afghan women, because with this, they can hope, we can hope," Sapan said before the game. "Actually, we have big hope from this match because this match can open doors for Afghan women for education, sport and the future." The players wore blue shirts designed for the match with a logo featuring a cricket ball and a tulip, Afghanistan's national flower. But it was not a national uniform and did not feature Afghanistan's flag or its colours. Afghanistan have been allowed to retain ICC membership, despite not fulfilling the requirement to commit to developing women's cricket. Australia and other countries refuse to play the Afghanistan men's team in bilateral series on moral grounds, citing deteriorating human rights for women in Afghanistan. The Afghan women based in Australia have asked the ICC to recognise them as a refugee team but have had no formal response. The ICC told Reuters this month that it was "committed to leveraging (its) influence constructively" to support the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in ensuring playing opportunities for both men and women. Cricket Australia says its hopes the Afghan women can play more exhibition matches and one day play on the international stage. The Afghanistan men's team will soon feature in the Champions Trophy, a one-day international competition featuring the game's major powers to be held in Pakistan and United Arab Emirates next month. The Afghanistan Women's XI players will return to playing for local cricket clubs in Australia and hope the exhibition match will have been noted by the game's global administrators. "It's good to see us still being represented," Tuba Sangar, a former women's cricket administrator in Afghanistan, told Reuters. "We hope this will create more opportunity and just be the beginning."
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Afghan women cricketers reunite in first game after fleeing Taliban
Afghanistan's women cricketers on Thursday played their first game since fleeing the Taliban three years ago, a charity match in Australia that captain Nahida Sapan said she hoped would spark "a movement for change". Hundreds of women athletes fled Afghanistan as the Taliban took over in August 2021, escaping a hardline stance that essentially banned women's sport and education. Most of the national women's cricket side settled as refugees in Australia, where they reunited for the first time on Thursday to play a charity match in Melbourne. "Together, we're building not just a team, we're building a movement for change and promise," captain Sapan said in the run-up to the game. "We have big hopes for this match because this match can open doors for Afghan women, for education, sport and in the future." The Afghanistan Cricket Board made a significant stride in November 2020 when it handed 25 promising women cricketers professional contracts. But before this fledgling squad had a chance to play together, the Taliban captured capital Kabul and declared an end to women's cricket. "We have never played before together as a team," said cricketer Firooza Amiri. "We are going to represent millions of Afghan women that are in Afghanistan and denied their rights. "It's very special for all of us to get back together after three years, (after) leaving everything and losing everything back home in Afghanistan." - 'Profound sadness' - Of the 25 women once contracted by the Afghanistan Cricket Board, 22 are now settled in the Australian cities of Melbourne and Canberra. Some of these players have lobbied the governing International Cricket Council in the hopes of forming a refugee team with some kind of official status. "A profound sadness remains that we, as women, cannot represent our country like the male cricketers," some players wrote in a joint letter last year. "The creation of this team will allow all Afghan women who want to represent their country to come together under one banner." The council has so far ignored these calls. Thursday's game was played at Melbourne's Junction Oval, a storied ground where a young Shane Warne once plied his trade. The Afghan side played an invitational outfit representing Cricket Without Borders, a charity which aims to draw young women into the game. Governing body Cricket Australia threw its weight behind the match, pledging to "advocate" for the Afghan women's side at the highest levels. "I'm just so proud of everyone across Australian cricket who's worked to support the players since they've been in Australia," chief executive Nick Hockley said earlier this week. Citing human rights concerns, Australia has in recent years boycotted a series of non-tournament fixtures against the Afghanistan men's side. sft/djw/dhc
