Cricket Australia (CA) had made it clear the Test will be cancelled if women's cricket will not be supported in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan cricket, which resumed actives after the Taliban takeover, started facing dark times after the historic Test match between them and Australia, which is scheduled to take place later this year in Hobart, could be cancelled.
Since it was reported that women's cricket will not be supported in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime, Cricket Australia (CA) made it clear the Test will be also be cancelled. This would be Australia and Afghanistan’s first meeting in the longest format.
However, now it has come to the notice that women could still be allowed to play cricket, the chairman of Afghanistan's Cricket Board claimed. Azizullah Fazli said that the governing body would outline how this would happen and added that all 25 of the women's team remained in Afghanistan.
"We will give you our clear position on how we will allow women to play cricket," Fazli told SBS Radio Pashto on late Friday. "Very soon, we will give you good news on how we will proceed."
His comments, however, contradict that of the deputy head of the Taliban's cultural commission Ahmadullah Wasiq, who told the same broadcaster that it was "not necessary" for women to play sport.
Earlier, the Aussie Test captain Tim Paine had also spoken about the issue and said that teams could pull out of next month's Twenty20 World Cup in protest, or boycott playing Afghanistan.
But Afghanistan Cricket Board CEO Hamid Shinwari expressed disappointment and had acknowledged Australian cricket's point of view but added that an alternate solution can be found out.
He added, "The ACB is powerless to change the culture and religious environment of Afghanistan. If the CA decides to cancel the Test match and isolate the Afghan men’s national team, it will have no impact upon those cultural and religious values as they stand".
As for Cricket Australia, they said that they have been in regular dialogue with the Afghanistan Cricket Board and that "we made our position very clear in the statement".
As per International Cricket Council (ICC) regulations, nations with Test status must also have an active women's team. Afghanistan's position is yet to be discussed at the ICC's next board meeting in November.
Meanwhile, many news agencies also stated how the women's team were in hiding in Kabul and members of the Taliban had come looking for them. However, Fazli insisted they were safe.
"The women cricket coach Diana Barakzai and her players are all safe and living in their home country," he told SBS.
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