Sport
Afghan women’s cricket team set to start training this month
The Afghan women’s cricket team, which was officially relaunched last month, is scheduled to have their first overseas training camp later this month, likely in a Gulf country.
The aim of this is to prepare them for their first international match early next year, Reuters reported.
This comes after the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) recently reformed the women’s squad, and awarded contracts to 25 players following trials at the Kabul Stadium.
While Afghanistan’s men’s cricket team has enjoyed a series of successes over the past few years, the national women’s team was quietly disbanded just a few years after it was formed in 2010, amid fears over safety.
The women’s team, which is set to soon start training under an international coach, still face plenty of hurdles in a country where many men are deeply uncomfortable with the idea of their sisters and daughters competing in public, Reuters reported.
Even within the ACB, not everyone thinks a women’s team is a good idea, players and officials told the Reuters.
Security is a major concern, with foreign forces due to leave Afghanistan by May 2021 in exchange for counter-terrorism guarantees from the Taliban, Reuters stated.
The Taliban, which banned girls from being educated when they ruled Afghanistan, now control wide areas of the country and there has been an uptick in attacks on prominent women.
No direct threats against the cricketers have been made, but officials at the ACB said recent attacks including a deadly assault last month on the Kabul University campus had raised fears.
Announcing the formation of the squad last month, the ACB stressed it was “adhering to the traditional Afghan and Islamic values” and would hold its first training camp in an Islamic country.
Chairman Farhan Yusefzai told Reuters he was aware of opposition on the board to setting up a women’s team, but insisted he would not be deterred.
“Many Muslim countries have their national women’s teams,” he said, citing Pakistan, Kuwait and Oman.
“Here in Afghanistan, we have the national football team, volleyball teams, swimming team, so why not cricket,” he said, crediting the women players with “overwhelming” talent and enthusiasm for the game.
Abu Muslim Farah defeated Khurasan Faryab 2-0 in the 25th match of the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan.
The match was played on Saturday at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium in Kabul.
Both teams pushed for an opening goal in the first half, but neither side managed to find the net, and the teams went into the break goalless.
Just two minutes into the second half, Abu Muslim Farah broke the deadlock to take a 1-0 lead.
Alireza Panahi later doubled Abu Muslim Farah’s advantage, sealing a 2-0 victory for the Farah side.
Abu Muslim Farah committed 13 fouls and received two yellow cards, while Khorasan Faryab committed seven fouls and received one yellow card.
Matches from the sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League are being broadcast live and exclusively on Ariana Television.
Omar Zawak Herat secured a 1-0 victory over Toofan Herat in the 24th match of the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan in Kabul.
The match was played on Saturday at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium.
Both sides created scoring opportunities in the first half, but neither team managed to find the net before the break.
Omar Zawak Herat broke the deadlock in the 86th minute when Shadab Malikzadah scored with a fine strike to give his side the lead.
Toofan Herat committed eight fouls and received two yellow cards, while Omar Zawak Herat recorded six fouls and received one yellow card and one red card.
Toofan Herat will face Aino Mina Kandahar on September 29, while Omar Zawak Herat will take on Abu Muslim Farah on September 30.
Matches from the sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League are being broadcast live on Ariana Television.
Afghanistan are set to face India in the Asian Games cricket quarter-finals after Saturday’s rain-hit match between Nepal and Japan confirmed the Pool A standings.
The quarter-final between India and Afghanistan is scheduled to take place on September 28 in Nisshin, Japan.
Nepal secured first place in the group after Japan’s chase was washed out. Nepal had scored 149 runs for four wickets in 15 overs after being sent in to bat, but persistent rain prevented Japan from starting its innings.
The result saw Nepal advance as Pool A winners, with Afghanistan joining them in the quarter-finals as the other qualifying team. Nepal will face Sri Lanka in the quarter-finals.
Japan have been eliminated from the tournament.
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