'Please be the voice of the girls, start doing something for women' - Exiled Afghanistan women players to men's team

Female cricketers Firooza Amiri and Benafsha Hashimi fled Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021. They have settled in Australia, where they are playing club cricket with the hope of representing their nation someday. However, that won't be possible until the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) re-establishes its women's team. Under the Taliban rule, the ACB do not have the authority to do that because of the country's laws, which forbid women from playing sports, studying, and working.

Notably, Afghanistan is an ICC Full Member, and one condition of that status is having a women's team. Discussions are ongoing over whether or not to sanction Afghanistan's men's team. Amiri and Hashimi do not want the men's team to suffer. However, they want them to raise their voices so that women can have equal rights as they do.

"They are in a good position at the moment in the world and if they start supporting us, they'll have a big impact on our team. They can be very, very helpful for us and for all the women. If women can start playing sport, women can start studying as well. It can be a pathway," Amiri told ESPNcricinfo.

"If they start supporting us, it's going to be a way for all women. If they can hear my voice from here: Afghanistan, national players, please, please be the voice of the girls at the moment. Please do more for us. Start doing something for women. You are the voice of Afghanistan. They are the most famous people at the moment. They can be the voice of millions and millions of girls," she added.

However, Amiri understands that if the male players do speak up for their female compatriots, their safety could be at risk.

"I know that there were always some challenges for them as well. Some of their families are still in Afghanistan. We don't want you to be in danger," Amiri stated.

We have great men's team but we never focus on women's team: Hashimi

Meanwhile, Benafsha Hashimi explained her mixed feelings about Afghanistan's excellent performance in the T20 World Cup last year, when they reached the semi-finals. She rued the lack of opportunities for women in the country.

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"I can say 50-50. I was happy because my team has played very well and Afghanistan got to the semi-finals [of the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup] which is quite good for us because we haven't been there but on the other side I was just hopeless. We have a really great men's team but we never focus on a women's team and it is a bit difficult to talk about. So I was happy and I was sad too. It's a difficult feeling to describe: men having more opportunity than girls," Hashmi concluded.