The Cricket Australia Chief Nick Hockley believes the exhibition match featuring the Afghanistan women’s team in Melbourne is a ‘beacon of hope’ for the females in the country.
Afghanistan women cricketers who are now settled in Melbourne and Canberra, following the takeover of the country by the Taliban, will play a T20 match against Cricket Without Borders Xl.
Nick Hockley revealed that the England and Wales Cricket Board are also keen to host Afghanistan women’s team players for matches in the future.
“I think this is a first step. We’ve got colleagues from the ECB coming out for the women’s Ashes, and there are conversations happening to support from England as well as from Australia. So I think the first piece is awareness.
“But I think it’s going to be such an exciting day on Thursday, and my hope is that promotes lots of conversations, that this becomes an annual thing and then ultimately, that this team were able to compete on the international stage as is their want.
“I don’t think any of us can comprehend what they’ve been through moving to a new country in such difficult circumstances, not speaking the language.”
“I’m just inspired by their resilience, their love for the game and hopefully this game just raises awareness, a real beacon of hope,” said Nick Hockley.
Hockley also recalled the time when he was a witness to the Afghanistan women’s team players getting their jerseys.
“I was privy to a moment where they got to see their playing shirts for the first time with their names and numbers on the back, and you can just see how much it means to them.
“So I really hope this is kind of the first step of a really successful journey for this group, but also that this match shines a light on the fact that in places around the world not every woman and girl has a chance to play.
“So far, Australia hasn’t played bilateral matches against Afghanistan since making the decision last year, citing “deteriorating human rights for women and girls in the country under Taliban rule”.
But with Australia playing against Afghanistan in ICC tournaments, they faced accusations of being hypocritical.
Speaking on this, Nick Hockley said that it is their duty to play against Afghanistan in global events. “We’re duty bound under the terms of the arrangements for ICC events to play all our scheduled fixtures, so it goes back to what can we do that’s in our control.
“We’ve played Afghanistan in other ICC events, so we’ve been clear and consistent from the very outset. You have to draw a line somewhere, and I think we’ve made our stance pretty clear.
“It’s such a complex situation; it’s bigger than cricket. But hopefully what you see this week is that we’re doing those things that are within our direct control to be able make a positive difference.”
The Afghanistan women-Cricket without Border Xl exhibition T20 match will be played on January 30 at Junction Oval.
