Jay Shah's ICC Under Pressure After FIFA's Act On Afghanistan

Jay Shah [Image Credits: AFP]

Almost four years after the Taliban banned women's sport in Afghanistan, the exiled women cricketers are now making an urgent appeal to the International Cricket Council.

Recently, world football's governing body FIFA has granted recognition to their counterparts in football, and the Afghanistan women's cricketers are now seeking a formal route back into international cricket competition from the ICC without being dependent on approval from Taliban-controlled authorities.

What is the current status of Afghanistan Women Cricketers?

Afghanistan women cricketers are now scattered across Australia and other countries after escaping the Taliban takeover back in 2021 and now want the ICC to officially recognise them as a legitimate national team.

With no approval to represent the national team in any ICC-sanctioned event, the women cricketers were forced to play under informal banners like Afghanistan XI in exhibition matches, with no route back to international cricket recognition.

Why is Jay Shah’s ICC constantly refusing to recognise Afghanistan Women?

The ICC's refusal to recognise a refugee Afghan women's team lies in a combination of political restrictions and institutional rules that have remained unchanged since August 2021. The primary obstacle is the Taliban's ban on women's sport.

As the Taliban gained power, they immediately prohibited all women and girls from participating in sports. The Afghanistan Cricket Board, which operates under Taliban authority, cannot authorise the women's national team for any ICC-related event.

Therefore, under ICC regulations, a full member nation must have a national women's team, which is a requirement Afghanistan has not met since the ban took effect.

Since the ACB hasn't recognised the team yet, the ICC has so far declined to recognise any alternative team operating from outside the country, which is now in complete contrast to FIFA's stance.

FIFA takes massive step to break the shackles

In May 2026, FIFA's governing council agreed to amend its regulations to allow a refugee team, Afghan Women United, to compete in official international matches without requiring approval from the Taliban-controlled Football Federation.

This unique decision was built on years of lobbying by players and campaigners, followed by a broader strategy to support Afghan women's football.

By changing the rules, FIFA made a statement that athletes should not lose their international careers simply because a regime they no longer abide by denies their right to play.

Dr. Catherine Ordway, a sports integrity expert and visiting scholar at the University of New South Wales, has now become a prominent voice urging the ICC to act on Afghanistan women's cricket rights.

Having played a key role in helping several Afghan women cricketers relocate to Australia, she pointed out the struggles of the team while speaking to the ABC Podcast.

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Afghanistan Women pleads ICC to take quick action

According to Dr. Ordway, the cricketing body has still not produced a clear roadmap for the displaced players. She explained that although the ICC previously formed a task force, it initially failed to meet even once.

While the newer task force has at least held discussions, Ordway believes there has still been little concrete action.

“The ICC has put together a task force. They put together a task force previously, which didn’t meet at all. At least this task force has met once, but they do not have a plan as far as we can see. The women’s team have been asking for a representative on the task force. 

At the moment, it’s just made up of the BCCI, English cricket, and Australian cricket representatives, but none of the women are represented and they do not have a plan going forward after the funding ends in August,” Ordway said.

ICC Deliberately Delaying Progress?

When questioned about whether the ICC’s efforts had become little more than a symbolic exercise, Ordway admitted the lack of visible progress had been frustrating.

“Well, I really hope not. It sounded really positive when they made the announcements last year, and the women’s team were ecstatic about it,” Ordway noted.

Ordway pointed out that the players have since attended training camps, watched matches at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, and participated in practice games against Indian teams.

A planned visit to the United Kingdom is also expected to coincide with the ICC’s upcoming meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland.

“At the moment, the women’s team isn’t even on the agenda for the ICC. So the fact that they’re going to be there at the same time, I’m really hopeful will help to put some pressure on the ICC to make some positive decisions, both for this group of displaced women and for the women inside Afghanistan as well,” she concluded.

Afghanistan Women’s fate lies in the hands of ICC

Nevertheless, the question now remains whether Jay Shah's ICC will follow FIFA's path or not. With FIFA's unique move, the argument that sports bodies are powerless to act when a domestic federation is controlled by a regime has now been removed.

Yet, recognition remains a politically delicate issue within the ICC, where member boards have sometimes prioritised quiet diplomacy over open confrontation.

While the trip to Edinburgh might be the refugee team’s best chance to make their case directly to the cricket world's power brokers, whether the ICC finally steps up still remains to be seen.

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