When India take on Sri Lanka in the Women’s World Cup 2025 opener at the Assam Cricket Association Stadium in Guwahati, the spotlight will not only be on the players on the field but also on a group of Afghan women cricketers exiled from their homeland.
Living in Australia since the Taliban’s return to power, the players are not officially recognised by the Afghanistan Cricket Board but have been invited as special spectators.
Assam Cricket Association president Taranga Gogoi confirmed their attendance to ESPN, saying arrangements were being made and that BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia was overseeing the details.
As per ESPN, the ICC has made no formal announcement about their presence but earlier this year pledged to establish a dedicated task force for Afghanistan’s female cricketers, with financial backing from the ICC and the three most influential boards: the BCCI, ECB and Cricket Australia.
It is reported that the idea of bringing the Afghan women to India was floated at the ICC’s annual conference in July, with plans for a training camp in Bengaluru, exhibition games against Indian domestic sides and attendance at several World Cup fixtures.
Those plans have since been scaled back and for now the players’ participation may be limited to attending the opening match.
The low-key approach is deliberate, reflecting ICC’s concerns over possible retaliation from Afghanistan’s Taliban regime, which has banned women from schools, universities, public spaces and sports since seizing power in 2021.
In 2020, the Afghanistan Cricket Board had contracted 25 women players but those agreements collapsed after the Taliban takeover. Most of the cricketers have since resettled in Australia, with others now living in the United Kingdom and Canada.
Visa issues prevented some from travelling to India, though earlier this year several featured in an exhibition game in Melbourne between an Afghanistan XI and Cricket Without Borders.
In March 2025, after receiving The Australia Today International Women’s Day Award in Sports, the Afghan women’s cricket team members were also felicitated by the Indian High Commission in Canberra.
The event celebrated their courage, resilience, and achievements while highlighting the close ties between India and Afghanistan, including within diaspora communities.
Among them was Firooza Amiri, who in an earlier exclusive interview with The Australia Today described how she first picked up a bat at 15, received a national contract by 17, and was determined to represent Afghanistan internationally until the Taliban takeover forced her into hiding and then into exile.
Amiri recalled the fear and uncertainty of fleeing through Taliban checkpoints before finally securing a visa to Australia with the help of advocates and Cricket Australia.
Since resettling, Amiri and her teammates have written repeatedly to the ICC requesting recognition either as a national side in exile or as a refugee team, but say their appeals have gone unanswered. “Afghanistan is the only full member nation without a women’s team,” Amiri said.
“The ICC must stop remaining silent on gender apartheid in Afghanistan. We are asking for the same recognition and funding that the men’s team receives. Give us the chance to represent our country.”
While rejecting calls to boycott Afghanistan’s men’s team, she argued that countries like Australia and the UK should use their influence to ensure Afghan women are not left behind.
For the players, simply being in Guwahati at the World Cup carries deep symbolic weight. Earlier this year, their exhibition match in Melbourne drew Afghan supporters waving flags and cheering them on, which Amiri described as “a powerful moment” that showed the world what Afghan women stand for.
The team has since launched a fundraising campaign called Pitch Our Future to sustain their cricketing ambitions and to highlight the struggles of women and girls in Afghanistan who remain silenced under the Taliban.
As India and Sri Lanka take the field on Sunday, the presence of these exiled Afghan cricketers in the stands will serve as a reminder that beyond runs and wickets, this World Cup is also about resilience, equality and the fight to keep dreams alive.
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