Women can be allowed to play, says ACB chairman Azizullah Fazli

In a piece of news that will surely be a shot in the arm for the Afghanistan women’s game, its chairman has claimed that the team will be allowed to play the sport. The statement made by Azizullah Fazli is in stark contrast to the one made by Ahmadullah Wasiq, deputy head of the Taliban's cultural commission, who claimed that women don't need to play the sport. The fate of the women team is in a spot of bother ever since the Taliban swept to power in Afghanistan. Fazli sounded optimistic about giving a good response to its women cricketers.

"We will give you our clear position on how we will allow women to play cricket," he told SBS Radio Pashto late Friday, the broadcaster reported on its English-language website. "Very soon, we will give you good news on how we will proceed."

Earlier, Australia skipper Tim Paine had expressed his concerns over how ICC has maintained a grim silence on the matter. As per rules and regulations, teams given Test status should have an active women’s team playing the game. Paine also felt many teams could boycott Afghanistan during the T20 World Cup.

Due to the Taliban’s non-assurance on women playing cricket, it men’s team’s one-off Test against Australia, scheduled to begin on November 27, is in jeopardy.

Meanwhile, Fazli has assured the safety of its 25 women cricketers and revealed they are doing well.''

"The women cricket coach Diana Barakzai and her players are all safe and living in their home country," he told SBS.

"Many countries have asked them to leave Afghanistan, but they have not left Afghanistan, and at the moment, they are in their places."