Women | Afghan refugee women cricketers tell BBC Sport that foreign stars joining a new Afghan men's league could have stood with Afghan women by staying out

ACW | November 7, 2026 — Foreign cricketers could have stood with Afghan women by staying out of a new Afghan men's league, Nahida Sapan, captain of Afghanistan's refugee women's team, told BBC Sport.

"For five years, girls in Afghanistan have been denied the right to play cricket and many other basic rights," Sapan said in the report, published on Friday, Nov. 6. "Their rights, dignity and freedom matter more than any league or sporting opportunity."

"This is not about being against cricket or Afghan men's cricket. It is about standing up for basic human rights," she said. Batter Firooza Amiri said players should "ask difficult questions," adding: "I am not asking international players to turn their backs on the people of Afghanistan."

The men's franchise league is expected to start in December in the United Arab Emirates but has not been sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC), BBC Sport said. Eight English players, including Moeen Ali and Alex Hales, were signed.

The England and Wales Cricket Board urged players in September to reconsider their involvement. The Afghanistan Cricket Board did not comment in the BBC report.

Background: Sapan and Amiri are among the players who fled to Australia. Without ICC recognition, they play as the Afghan Refugee Women's Team and have asked the ICC for international status and long-term funding; the ICC and the boards of England, Australia and India have announced joint funding for them, BBC Sport reported.

Why it matters: Afghanistan's men's team keeps full ICC membership even though the membership requirements include supporting a women's national side, according to BBC Sport.

ACW will continue to follow this story.

Source: BBC Sport — Women's rights matter more than any league, say Afghan cricketers

Photo: Afghan Embassy in Australia (via Etilaatroz) — Afghan women cricketers