ICC to question Afghanistan Cricket Board over future of women's cricket

There has been a growing clamour around the Afghanistan Cricket Board after Cricket Australia decided to pull out from the ODI series against the Blue Tigers.

After CA raised its concerns around the status of women cricketers in the Taliban-ruled nation, ICC has also now taken notice of the Afghanistan Cricket Board's failure to raise a women's team. 'We want to see men and women safely playing cricket in Afghanistan and have consistently held the view that the best way to achieve this is by supporting the board', an ICC official told Cricbuzz.

Despite several male cricketers having taken a clear stand against CA's decision, ICC chose to raise its concerns about the recent developments in Afghanistan, especially with regard to the women and the women cricketers.

Mohd Nabi, former captain of Afghanistan had also questioned the Australian board's move. 'Why did they play against us at World Cup, just for good NRR? We will see if they boycott us in upcoming ICC tournaments', he told Cricbuzz.

Cricket Australia withdrew from the ODI series in March, citing the Taliban's restrictions on the freedom of women & girls in Afghanistan.