Knight wants ICC to help 'forgotten' Afghanistan

Heather Knight hopes to meet members of the Aghanistan women's team during the Ashes tour of Australia

England captain Heather Knight has called for the International Cricket Council to do more for the Afghanistan women's team, whom she feels have been "forgotten".

Female participation in sport in the country has effectively been outlawed since the Taliban's return to power in 2021.

More than 20 members of their women's cricket team fled to safety in Australia and previously asked the ICC to allow them to play as a refugee team.

The issue has gained further attention in recent weeks as UK politicians have written to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) calling for England's men to refuse to play against Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy match in Lahore, Pakistan, on 26 February.

Knight said the situation is "complex" but she hopes to meet some members of the Afghanistan side during the women's Ashes series in Australia, as they are playing in an exhibition match against a Cricket Without Borders XI on 30 January in Melbourne.

"I think it's really good that it's being talked about. Obviously, the situation in Afghanistan is heart-breaking," Knight told BBC Sport before the opening game of the Ashes on Saturday (23:30 GMT).

"It's a complex issue but I think as much as we can publicise the fact that the women's team are playing out here, we should give those girls a voice because it's a remarkable story that they're actually here. They managed to get out of an extremely dire situation.

"I think those girls have been forgotten a lot. That is my honest opinion, which is a really sad thing. There hasn't been a huge amount of leadership when it comes to Afghan women's cricket team, so I'd love to see them have as much media as possible for that match."

The ECB has also called on the ICC to act, as chief executive Richard Gould wrote to the global governing body to take action after what he called "gender apartheid".

He also called for Afghanistan's funding to be withheld until women's cricket is reinstated and support be given to Afghan women's players.

Knight agreed that change and support needed to come from "the top of the game".

"It needs to come from the ICC and it needs to be a really clear message," Knight added.

"I know that cricket in Afghanistan has given a huge amount of hope to people in the country and people that have fled the country, so it's not as simple as having a boycott and then things will change because I'm not entirely sure that that's going to be the case.

"But I think that by trying to promote the women's team and the fact that there is a women's Afghan team playing here in Australia is a really cool thing, so let's celebrate that as much as we can."

The ECB's current policy states that they will not schedule bilateral series against Afghanistan, while Australia have withdrawn from playing several men's series against their side, but they played each other at the 2023 50-over World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Bilateral matches are organised by individual cricket boards, but tournaments such as the Champions Trophy and both World Cups are run by the ICC, and, given Afghanistan are being allowed to participate by the governing body, England are set to face them as scheduled.

What is the ICC position?

An ICC working group, set up after the Taliban takeover in 2021, has met with representatives of the Afghanistan government and is keen to use its position and the sport of cricket to influence change in the country.

"The ICC remains closely engaged with the situation in Afghanistan and continues to collaborate with our members," it said in a statement.

The governing body added it was their intention to "support the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in fostering cricket development and ensuring playing opportunities for both men and women in Afghanistan".

Its stance is that the ACB is not in control of government policy and therefore players should not be punished for it.

In his letter to the ICC, Gould called for the ICC's working group to be reformed, given it is entirely made up of men.