ICC Chief Geoff Aldrice addresses challenges in Afghanistan women's cricket development
By Ovaise Shariff | First Published May 5, 2024, 8:12 PM ISTGeoff Aldrice, the ICC chief, highlights the hurdles faced by the Afghanistan Cricket Board in fostering women's cricket, discussing the implications for global tournaments and the stance of governing bodies like Cricket Australia amidst the Taliban's control.
Geoff Aldrice, the ICC chief, expressed on Monday the challenges faced by the Afghanistan cricket board in fostering women's cricket within the country. Unless there are significant changes, the current state of affairs is likely to persist.
"At present, the Afghanistan Cricket Board, our member, struggles to field a women's team," Aldrice informed the media in Dhaka during an event for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup. "Until circumstances change, this will likely endure. It's not that the Afghanistan Cricket Board hasn't previously worked on developing women's cricket; rather, they are currently unable to do so."
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Afghanistan stands as the sole full member nation without a women's team, thus rendering the Afghanistan Cricket Board unable to participate in the upcoming ICC Women's T20 World Cup.
The participating teams are grouped into two: Group A comprises Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Qualifier 1, while Group B consists of South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, and Qualifier 2.
In March 2024, Cricket Australia postponed their scheduled T20I series against Afghanistan, previously set for August 2024 in the UAE. This decision came amidst no discernible improvements in the Taliban's stance on women, following the historic one-off Test cancellation and withdrawal from the ODI series last year due to the Taliban takeover.
Aldrice expressed the ICC's aspiration to bolster women's cricket by expanding the number of teams in global tournaments, starting with the next ICC Women's World Cup featuring 10 teams.
"We're looking to broaden opportunities in tournaments. The upcoming event here in October will host 10 teams. The subsequent edition of the women's T20 World Cup will involve 12 teams, with discussions ongoing about further expansion. Even the ICC Women's Championship is evolving into a 10-team event, allowing Bangladesh and Ireland, participating for the first time, to gain valuable exposure against top-tier opponents," Aldrice remarked.
"It's a gradual process. The ICC establishes a framework for teams to compete. Associate member cricket has seen as many women's T20 internationals played as their male counterparts in recent years. We aim to expand opportunities for developing teams to secure spots on the big stage because that's the best way to promote inclusion in World Cups. That's our next stride," he concluded.
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