Should Afghanistan men's cricket team be banned from international competition due to Taliban's ban on women's sports?

[Gollum]

What is your opinion?

 

50% of their country banned from not just playing sports (even spectating !!!!!) but also education (Afghanistan: 1.4 million girls still banned from school) !!!!! This is worse than apartheid treatment of non-whites IMO. 

 

Ever once heard any mainstream Afghan player supporting women's cricket? They just vaguely give some curated answers about women's rights, their position in Islam etc. without answering the core question. Plenty of RSA cricketers in 70s/80s were against apartheid, legends like Procter, Grame Pollock and Barry Richards even held protest demonstrations against the unfair system. Contrast that to cowards like Rashid, Nabi. 

 

Their women's cricket team is exiled and now based in Australia, like how their only all girls choir team is in India. Unacceptable in 2025, even Pakistan, Maldives, Saudi, Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Libya type countries haven't gone this far....heck Iran encourages women's participation in sports (except wrestling I guess) and their women won multiple medals in Paris Olympics in combat sports like taekwondo, judo. 

 

How are Afghans entitled to their share of ICC revenue when not one dime will be spent for the girls/women? Surely there must be some legal binding to invest a certain % for women, disadvantaged groups etc. 

 

Also shame on BCCI for supporting this farce. CA is the only board that is talking about this grave injustice. Let Afghan individuals ply their trade in leagues, but until Taliban mends its ways, they shouldn't have international participation. Don't treat this differently than the case of apartheid South Africa, those guys were banned for 20+ years when they could have fought toe-to-toe with ATG WI. 

 

 

[Stan AF]

Yes

[Tillu]

Yes it is grave injustice to the Afghan women, but it will serve well for the BCCI and Indian govt  to remain silent on these issues.

 

Afghans are natural geopolitical allies to us and are very useful to keep the Pakistani military under check.

 

Morally bankrupt countries like England and Australia will preach women's rights and everything as they are so far away from these countries and are immune to what's happening in this part of the world.

 

As ordinary citizens we might grieve the injustices happening around the world but Governments operate on Realpolitik who always look after their best interests and have no basis for a moral compass.

[Lord]

Women's cricket should be banned instead

[kepler37b]

No.  It is one of the very few tools of unity in that land.

 

 

 

 

 

[Gollum]

2 hours ago, Lord said:

Women's cricket should be banned instead

Why bro? Just because we suck?

[BacktoCricaddict]

7 hours ago, Gollum said:

Surely there must be some legal binding

In which court? Who arbitrates this? As is becoming evident everywhere, the only court that really matters is the one with power.  

 

The real question is - does banning help solve the problem? Other than keeping some funds away from the Afghani board, it will have very little impact, if any. Maybe ICC can use payments to men's cricket as leverage, but even then, the govt may just end up banning their own men's team.

 

Also, this situation is different from apartheid. In that case, black men were competing for the same spots as white men to be on the team, but were unfairly kept away. In this case, the men's players' international and league successes seem to be inspiring the women. Instead of banning the men's team, perhaps it is better to give the women who escape some opportunities so they get a platform to bring awareness about the atrocities. But again ... retribution.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[New guy]

3 hours ago, Lord said:

Women's cricket should be banned instead

Educated indian in 2025.

[Sean Bradley]

No they shouldn't, because this way you will end up blocking any sporting competition for their mens team, what's the fault of the men's team in this? Why should they face the wrath for Talibans internal injustice. 

[Gollum]

Same question can be asked about apartheid RSA. What was the fault of the players? Someone like Procter was an outspoken critic of apartheid. Name one critic of this ban among leading Afghan cricketers. 

[Vickydev]

2 hours ago, BacktoCricaddict said:

In which court? Who arbitrates this? As is becoming evident everywhere, the only court that really matters is the one with power.  

 

The real question is - does banning help solve the problem? Other than keeping some funds away from the Afghani board, it will have very little impact, if any. Maybe ICC can use payments to men's cricket as leverage, but even then, the govt may just end up banning their own men's team.

 

Also, this situation is different from apartheid. In that case, black men were competing for the same spots as white men to be on the team, but were unfairly kept away. In this case, the men's players' international and league successes seem to be inspiring the women. Instead of banning the men's team, perhaps it is better to give the women who escape some opportunities so they get a platform to bring awareness about the atrocities. But again ... retribution.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes best would be to allow them (Afg women) play under an ICC flag or something like IOC allows refugees in Olympics

[Norman]

So let me get this straight..

 

You are mad that 50% of their population can't play cricket...and your counter step is to ban the other 50% from playing international cricket? 

 

Heh? 

[Gollum]

1 hour ago, Norman said:

So let me get this straight..

 

You are mad that 50% of their population can't play cricket...and your counter step is to ban the other 50% from playing international cricket? 

 

Heh? 

Put pressure on their government. How was it different with apartheid?

[Ultimate_Game]

Very sad situation and feel for women who're unfortunate to have been born in Afghanistan. No prospects, no future, and literally nothing to live for.

[Muloghonto]

No. We need to not be direct enemies of taliban. That way we can * with pakistan better.
We are not responsible for what happens in domestic affairs of other countries, as long as it doesnt directly harm us. We are not moral thekeydaars of the world, nor should we aspire for such a role.

Mens cricket is one of the largest avenues for afghans and indians to bond over, that is far more important than waa waa about what goes on inside afghanistan.

 

[Lord]

On 4/19/2025 at 5:49 PM, Gollum said:

Why bro? Just because we suck?

 

Was just joking coz they are boring. Maafi

 

 

[Lord]

10 hours ago, Gollum said:

Put pressure on their government. How was it different with apartheid?

lmao do you think they care?

 

[Zero_Unit]

Even if you ban them, do you think that will resolve anything? Only thing it will do is kill wtv talen Afg has coming from their land.

Do you think Talibans cares more about cricket than women's right to live as free citizens? If your answer is no, then you literally answered your own question. 

 

One thing to note, by playing cricket all around the world, these players most likley started to see how a women is just another human being with rights- not just a slave - all around the world. They will probably keep bringing that mentality slowly and it will have some sort of small progress in people of Afg. Progress like this will take a long time - you won't fix it with bans.

Edited April 22 by Zero_Unit

[rkt.india]

On 4/20/2025 at 11:23 PM, Gollum said:

Put pressure on their government. How was it different with apartheid?

Their govt is Taliban if you have forgotten. They wouldn't even care.

 

Edited April 22 by rkt.india

[Muloghonto]

On 4/22/2025 at 6:30 AM, rkt.india said:

Their govt is Taliban if you have forgotten. They wouldn't even care.

 

 

This is the full video for anyone to watch. Notice one thing - this talibunny is a proper bhodrolok - he is very polte, respectful and asks in the most politest way possible to stop the interview: