Taliban-Hit Afghanistan Refugee Women's Team Set To Travel To T20 World Cup 2026

Afghanistan Women Cricket Team. [ChatGPT]

Afghanistan’s exiled women cricketers are set to tour England in June in another important moment for players who were forced to leave their homeland after the Taliban takeover in 2021. The Afghanistan Refugee Women’s Team will begin the tour on June 22.

The tour is being organized with support from the ECB, MCC, MCC Foundation and sports consultancy It’s Game On. It will include training camps and T20 matches, while the players are also expected to attend the Women’s T20 World Cup final at Lord’s.

Taliban takeover ended Afghanistan women’s cricket dreams

Back in 2020, the Afghanistan Cricket Board had started taking important steps to develop women’s cricket in Afghanistan. Trials were held in Kabul and 25 women players were offered contracts as the country slowly tried building a women’s cricket structure.

However, the Taliban takeover in 2021 completely changed the situation for women athletes in Afghanistan. Women and girls were banned from several areas of public life, including sports, which immediately brought Afghanistan women’s cricket to a sudden stop across the country.

Several players were forced to leave Afghanistan for safety reasons, while many others saw their cricket dreams disappear within months. Most of these Afghanistan Women cricketers are now living in Australia and trying to continue their cricket journeys away from home.

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England tour offers new hope for displaced Afghan players

Despite years of uncertainty, the players have continued finding ways to stay connected with cricket whenever opportunities arrive. Earlier this year, they played as an Afghanistan Refugee XI during the 2025 Women’s Ashes in Australia against a team named Cricket Without Borders.

The players had also travelled to India during last year’s Women’s ODI World Cup as spectators. Although they could not officially participate in the tournament, the visit once again showed their strong connection with the game despite years of exile from Afghanistan.

As reported by ESPN Cricinfo, the upcoming England tour during the T20 World Cup 2026 now being seen as another important opportunity for the players to reunite and compete together as a team. Organizers believe the cricketers deserve stronger recognition and more chances after everything they have experienced in recent years.

Cricket world continues backing Afghanistan refugee women’s team

Although the ICC has not recognized Afghanistan Women side as an official team in exile, support for the players continues growing within the cricket world. ECB officials also praised the resilience shown by the players for continuing their cricket journeys despite difficult personal circumstances.

For the Afghanistan refugee women cricketers, this England tour is much bigger than simply playing another series. It is about protecting their identity through cricket and proving their passion for the game remains alive despite years of displacement and uncertainty.

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