Afghanistan Women’s Refugee Team to Play Exhibition Match in Melbourne
In a heartwarming development, an Afghanistan women’s cricket team consisting of refugees now living in Australia will play an exhibition match in Melbourne this January. The T20 encounter will take place on January 30 at the Junction Oval, ahead of the opening day of the floodlit Women’s Ashes Test at the iconic MCG.
The players involved had to flee their homeland in 2021 when the Taliban seized power. Now residing in Canberra and Melbourne, many have been playing for local cricket clubs, but this will be the first time they come together as a representative team.
“Many people across cricket and the community have come together to provide support for members of the Afghanistan women’s team since their relocation to Australia, and this match will be a celebration of that work,” said Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley.
Earlier this year, 17 players who were contracted to the Afghanistan Cricket Board in 2020 wrote to the ICC, expressing their desire to set up a refugee team in Australia.
“Our goals in having a refugee team are to develop and showcase our talent, give hope to the women remaining in Afghanistan, and to draw attention to the challenges women of Afghanistan face,” the letter stated.
The exhibition match between the Afghanistan Women’s XI and a Cricket Without Borders XI promises to be a poignant and inspiring event, showcasing the resilience and sporting prowess of the Afghan players who have found a new home in Australia.
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