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ICC's plan for exiled Afghan women's cricket team exciting but unclear, advocate says

ICC’s plan for exiled Afghan women’s cricket team exciting but unclear, advocate says By Henry Hanson By Daniela Intili Topic:Cricket 1h ago1 hours agoTue 22 Apr 2025 at 2:44am Afghanistan’s women’s cricket team fled to Australia after the Taliban takeover in 2021. (ABC News: Donal Sheil) In short: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced […]

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4 weeks ago

April 22, 2025

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ICC’s plan for exiled Afghan women’s cricket team exciting but unclear, advocate says

By Henry Hanson
By Daniela Intili
Topic:Cricket

1 hours agoTue 22 Apr 2025 at 2:44am

Women in cricket gear train at Manuka oval — Afghanistan’s women’s cricket team fled to Australia after the Taliban takeover in 2021. (ABC News: Donal Sheil)

In short:

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced a task force and fund for the exiled Afghan women’s cricket team now residing in Australia.

Specifics of the initiative remain unclear, but the cricket boards of Australia, England and India will provide “meaningful support” to Afghan players.

What’s next:

Dr Catherine Ordway, a key figure in the team’s relocation to Australia, is hopeful the fund will match the sum currently given to the Afghan men’s team.

Last week, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the creation of a monetary fund and taskforce to support the displaced Afghan women’s cricket team.

The pledge was both long awaited and somewhat out of the blue.

Since the Taliban’s takeover of the country in 2021, the team has lived in exile, mostly in Canberra and Melbourne, and up until last week’s announcement, the ICC had been conspicuously silent on the issue.

Dr Catherine Ordway, a lawyer and associate professor of sport at the University of Canberra, has been one of the key figures in the team’s relocation and continued quest for recognition.

She told ABC Sport that the decision had caught the team’s players and representatives off-guard, but that it was “absolutely thrilling” nonetheless.

“It came out of left field — we didn’t have any heads up that this was going to be the International Cricket Council’s position,” Dr Ordway said.

“We’d been, of course, calling for it for three years, to have recognition for the Afghan women around the world who aren’t able to play cricket.

“So to have this financial support and recognition … was absolutely thrilling.”

In its statement announcing the initiative, the ICC said it would partner with the cricket boards of Australia, England and India to provide “meaningful support” to Afghan women.

The displaced players will also be offered a “strong high-performance programme that includes advanced coaching, access to world-class facilities and personalised mentorship.”

An anonymous ICC source told the Sydney Morning Herald the players would not be under-resourced, and that the organisation just needed to “work out what’s needed”.

Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, an ICC spokesperson confirmed the money would be in addition to, not taken away from, the sum already given to the Afghan Cricket Board (ACB) each year, understood to be between $17 and $27 million.

This means that Afghan women cricketers will no longer be tied to the ACB and Dr Ordway is hopeful the newly announced funding will match the figure currently taken by the ACB for the men’s team.

afghan women's team — The relocated Afghan women’s cricket team played its first match in January in Melbourne. (ABC News: Darryl Torpy)

Otherwise, however, the specifics of the initiative remain unclear.

“So of course now, the devil is in the detail, and we work through to see what [the announcement] actually means,” Dr Ordway said.

For Tooba Khan Sarwari, a member of the exiled team now residing in Australia, the announcement is “the start of something really exciting”.

“When I first heard the news, I was overwhelmed with emotions,” Sarwari told ABC Sport.

“After years of waiting, it felt like our voices were finally heard.

“It was such a meaningful decision for us.”

A four-year journey

Dr Ordway, alongside former Australia cricketer Mel Jones and Emma Staples, began to plan the evacuation of members of the team after watching the national women’s football side board one of the last flights out of Kabul before its airport closed in 2021.

Those images were well publicised as the world saw the Taliban regain control of Afghanistan and implement a fundamentalist Deobandi interpretation of Sunni Islam that heavily restricts the rights of women in sport and in wider society.

With its players largely resettled in Australia, the football team has been able to reform in the years since. But it too faces an ongoing battle for institutional recognition.

Afghanistan National Women's Team scarf — The Afghan women’s soccer team, also residing in Australia, remains in search of FIFA recognition. (ABC Sport: Damien Peck)

For Afghanistan’s female cricketers, an exit from the country took a lot longer to organise.

“We were really keen to be able to get the entire families together with the cricket team because we saw how devastating and traumatic it was for the football team to come out here without their families,” Dr Ordway said.

“So it was really important to me that we were able to get full families to safety.

“It was an enormous task that took us via road because the airport was closed, it took us nine or 10 months with a team of people.”

Upon their arrival in Australia, the Australian government granted the players emergency humanitarian visas and they were resettled in the country.

Sarwari has begun a life in Canberra, where she now plays for Eastlake Cricket Club and coaches at the Canberra Grammar School. She said cricket has proved vital to her sense of self in an unimaginably difficult time.

“Cricket was my anchor through all the chaos,”

Sarwari said.

“It gave me a sense of purpose; it allowed me to keep my identity and my dreams alive.”

Calls for equal investment

Since the Taliban takeover, there has been considerable controversy surrounding the Afghan men’s team’s continued involvement in international cricket, with ICC regulations requiring all full member nations to have a national women’s team.

Cricket Australia has twice postponed limited overs bilateral series between the two nations due to human rights concerns. However, the countries have played each other as part of ICC tournaments during that time, and Afghanistan retains its status as a Test-playing nation.

There have also been calls for a sporting boycott like the one imposed on apartheid-era South Africa, but Dr Ordway said they had never been echoed by members of the women’s team.

“The Afghan women want to see the men play,” Dr Ordway said.

“They are very proud of their team and they love seeing their flag and seeing them succeed at the highest level.”

Afghanistan bowler Rashid Khan holds a finger up as he celebrates a wicket during a Twenty20 World Cup game against Bangladesh. — Over the past decade, the Afghan men’s team has emerged as a cricketing power. (Getty Images: Darrian Traynor/ICC)

She also believes that ensuring the money for the women’s team is kept separate from the men’s is a strong strategic move by the ICC.

“The fact that they’ve decided to create a separate pot of money for displaced Afghan women is terrific because that means there’s not going to be any criticism on them that they’ve taken something away from the Afghan cricket men,” Dr Ordway explained.

And she said it was a golden opportunity for the ICC to show it valued Afghanistan’s national women’s team as much as the men’s.

“If the ICC was able to match the money they’re currently giving to the Afghan cricket board, that would be terrific,” Dr Ordway said.

For Sarwari, the most important factor is the message the decision sends to her countrywomen living on the periphery of a society that has excluded them from sport, education and the work force.

“We are not going to just play cricket,” Sarwari said.

“We are going to be voices for millions of Afghan women who have been denied their basic rights.

“We are standing with them and supporting.”

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‘Professional athletes in their prime’ – World Sevens tournament reimagines 7v7 soccer with prime-time players, fast-paced format

World Sevens is trying to make a name for itself in women’s small-sided soccer, with elite European clubs leading the way Jennifer Mackesy was there in 2024, under the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. She heard the beat of the drums, the screams of the crowd, the thud of the DJ’s playlist in the background. […]

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6 minutes ago

May 19, 2025

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World Sevens is trying to make a name for itself in women’s small-sided soccer, with elite European clubs leading the way

Jennifer Mackesy was there in 2024, under the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. She heard the beat of the drums, the screams of the crowd, the thud of the DJ’s playlist in the background. There were flags, shouts and an untamed energy about the whole thing.

The event? The women’s beach volleyball tournament at the Paris Olympics. As Mackesy sat there, taking it all in, watching the intensity of the sport perfectly complemented by the “oohs” and “aahs” of those in the stands powered by the the beat of the music, she drew one conclusion: this was what her women’s soccer tournament was going to look like.

“It was one of the most remarkable sporting events I’ve ever attended, and the level of athleticism and excitement that you saw on the volleyball court was one thing, but the energy in the stadium was like nothing I’ve ever seen,” Mackesy said.

Those games served as the central touch point for the latest soccer venture into the world of small-sided sports. This is not necessarily a new phenomenon, but World Sevens, co-founded by Mackesy and supported by prominent figures in the women’s game, offers a unique angle – a 7v7 tournament that puts real professionals at the forefront while retaining the fun of other competitions.

“The idea of bringing in professional women’s team elite clubs from around the world, to be able to participate in that format, just seemed like an incredible opportunity,” Mackesy said of the tournament, which is set to debut May 21-23 in Portugal.

Small-sided soccer has been around for a while, the professional indoor game chugging along in the background even as 11v11 dominated the conversation. But it has moved into the mainstream in recent years.

The Soccer Tournament, a.k.a. TST, has been held in North Carolina the past two summers, drawing influencers, ex-pros and millions of clicks as a result. Baller League has pieced together some of the highest profile names in the English game. Kings League, founded by Barcelona legend Gerard Pique, draws on all aspects of the entertainment industry – and has now gone global. Even the success of Unrivaled, a professional 3v3 women’s basketball tournament in the U.S., proved that quickened versions of more traditional games can thrive.

World Sevens, its founders insist, is different. Yes, this will be fun. Yes, there will be music. Yes, it will be more action-packed and, at times, more watchable than 11v11 soccer. But crucially, the involvement of eight professional clubs – all vying for a $5 million prize pot – is intended to produce a level of quality that many of the other tournaments fail to bring.

Established professional clubs from the best leagues across the globe have committed to participating. ‍For the May 2025 tournament, there will be eight professional clubs competing, including the likes of Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Manchester United and PSG.
“They want to win because they have pride and they want to be the best in the world at seven-a-side football,” Mackesy added.

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University Northern Iowa

CARBONDALE, Ill. — The UNI track and field team on Saturday wrapped up a strong performance at this year’s Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Outdoor Championships at the Lew Hartzog Track and Field Complex on Sunday, with both the men’s and women’s programs finishing third in their respective team races. The top-three finishes mark the Panther […]

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May 19, 2025

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CARBONDALE, Ill. — The UNI track and field team on Saturday wrapped up a strong performance at this year’s Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Outdoor Championships at the Lew Hartzog Track and Field Complex on Sunday, with both the men’s and women’s programs finishing third in their respective team races.

The top-three finishes mark the Panther men’s tenth top-three finish in the last 11 seasons, while the UNI women recorded their highest team finish since 2016 when they placed second. Indiana State captured the team titles for both men and women.

Individually, Northern Iowa swept both of the multi-event competitions as Joey Perry became UNI’s first MVC heptathlon champion since 2017, while Zack Butcher captured his third career conference decathlon crown, securing UNI’s fourth win in the event in the last six seasons. Thrower Katie Fare solidified her position as one of the league’s top throwers with a women’s shot put title, the Panthers’ first in the event since 2007, as Carlie Jo Fusco won her first MVC title in the 400-meter hurdles, UNI first winner in the event in nine years.

Following the meet, Fare, along with Brendan Safley, who won the men’s pole vaulting title on Saturday, were named the MVC Field Athletes of the Meet. Fare also received this honor during the MVC Indoor Championships this past March.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Perry, who led the heptathlon after a pair of event wins on Saturday, closed out the two-day, seven-event competition strong with wins in the long jump and 800 meters on Sunday to finish with 5,163 points, becoming UNI’s first heptathlon champion since Rachel Peth in 2015. Katy Hand meanwhile set a new career-best score of 4,635 points to take fifth.

After capturing three event wins in the decathlon on Saturday, Butcher finished the ten-event competition with a career-high 7,379 points, becoming the fifth athlete in conference history to win the event at least three times, having previously won the MVC decathlon in 2021 and 2023. Brody Lovell also set a new career-best score of 6,294 points with a seventh-place finish. UNI has notably won four of the last six MVC decathlon competitions.

Fare added to her decorated throwing career with a winning throw of 16.94 meters in the women’s shot put, securing the 2025 MVC indoor and outdoor shot put sweep. She is also the first Panther to win the outdoor shot put crown since Rachel Jensen in 2007. Jorie Hanenburg placed sixth in the women’s shot put with a career-best 14.73-meter toss. In addition to her shot put title, Fare also placed fifth in the women’s hammer throw with a career-best 56.39-meter toss.

On the track, Carlie Jo Fusco, in her first MVC Outdoor Championship meet, captured the women’s 400-meter hurdles title with a career-best and facility record time of 58.85 seconds, becoming Northern Iowa’s first champion in the event since Paige Knodel in 2016. Eden Moore followed Fusco in sixth place (1:01.94). Freshman Hogrefe took fourth in the men’s 400-meter hurdles with a career-best 53.27 second time, as Bill Mukhtar took eighth (54.06).

In the jumping pits, Josie Moreland tied her own school record with a second-place showing in the women’s high jump (1.78m) with Rylie Todd following in third place (1.75m). Caden Ungs meanwhile finished fifth in the men’s high jump (1.99m), while Soren Maricle captured seventh in the women’s triple jump with a career-best 11.60-meter mark.

Spencer Kessel would lead the Panther men’s throwing core with a third-place showing in the shot put with a season-best 18.450-meter throw, with David Russel taking fifth with a career-best 18.19-meter toss, Sebastian Swistak taking sixth (17.82m) and Carson Lienau eighth (17.43m). Kessel also took fourth in the hammer throw with a career-best 57.74-meter performance as Nathan Wilde took fifth (57.41m).

Parker Kiewiet clocked a season-best 46.93 with a third-place finish in the men’s 400 meters with Zach Fall taking fifth (47.88), while Drake Hanson led the way for the Panthers with a third-place performance in the men’s 800-meter run, dropping two seconds from his preliminary time on Saturday (1:49.15). Chase Knoche followed Hanson in fourth (1:49.84) with Derek Woods taking sixth (1:52.49). Emma Hoins also took home eighth in the women’s 5,000 meters (17:10.26).

In the sprints, Paige Kisley took fourth in the women’s 100-meter hurdle finals (13.97), with Kiewiet (21.29) and Deonte Dean (21.31) placing sixth and seventh respectively in the mens’ 200-meter dash. Luke Meyers crossed the finish line seventh in the men’s 100-meter dash (10.71), as Jersey Jones captured eighth place in the women’s 400 meters (56.19).

In the relays, the 4×400-meter men’s relay team of Onal Mitchell, Hanson, Meyers and Fall clocked a 3:11.22, while the women’s team of Perry, Jones, Maya Williams and Fusco ran a 3:39.70, both finishing third. UNI finished fourth in the men’s 4×100-meter relay with the team of Meyers, Jerome Jessup, Drew Bartels and Dean (40.31), as Kisley, Olivia Kramer, Eva Van De Mortel and Jessica Kyle took sixth (46.03).

FINAL WOMEN’S TEAM STANDINGS

1st – Indiana State (140.5)

2nd – Illinois State (119)

3rd – UNI (110)

4th – Missouri State (90)

5th – Bradley (76)

6th – Southern Illinois (75)

7th – Belmont (73)

8th – Murray State (64.5)

9th – Drake (63)

10th – UIC (8)

T11th – Evansville (0)

T11th – Valparaiso (0)

FINAL MEN’S TEAM STANDINGS

1st – Indiana State (210)

2nd – Illinois State (149)

3rd – UNI (124)

4th – Drake (85)

5th – Southern Illinois (79)

6th – Belmont (64)

7th – Bradley (54)

8th – Evansville (26)

9th – Valparaiso (17)

10th – UIC (10)

SPECIALTY AWARD WINNERS

Women’s Most Valuable Athlete – Leah Thames (Southern Illinois)

Men’s Most Valuable Athlete – Casey Hood Jr. (Indiana State)

Women’s Freshman of the Year – Justice Boston (Indiana State) & Emma Yoder (Indiana State)

Men’s Freshman of the Year – Andre Jackson II (Southern Illinois)

Women’s Most Outstanding Track Athlete – Rachel Mehringer (Indiana State)

Men’s Most Outstanding Track Athlete – Casey Hood Jr. (Indiana State)

Women’s Most Outstanding Field Athlete – Katie Fare (UNI)

Men’s Most Outstanding Field Athlete – Brendan Safley (UNI)

Women’s Elite 18 Award – Brooke Garter (Belmont)

Men’s Elite 18 Award – Will Staggs (Indiana State)

UP NEXT

Qualified athletes will head south to College Station, Texas for the NCAA West Regional Prelim Meet, scheduled for May 28-31 at E.B. Cushing Stadium on the campus of Texas A&M University. The list of qualified athletes is expected to be announced this week.

UNI track and field action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Track and Field), X (@UNITrackFieldXC) and on Instagram (@uni_tf_xc). Schedules and rosters, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.

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Laguna Open – AVP Beach Volleyball

The 70th Annual Laguna Open returns to Main Beach – this year as an AVP Contender Event. Sunday, September 14– 7:30 a.m. Women’s QF, 8:30 a.m. Men’s QF, 9:30 a.m. Women’s SF, 10:30 a.m. Men’s SF, 11:30 a.m. Women’s Final, 12:30 p.m. Men’s Final and Battle of the Beaches Final at 1:30 p.m. The Laguna […]

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25 minutes ago

May 19, 2025

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The 70^th Annual Laguna Open returns to Main Beach – this year as an AVP Contender Event.

Sunday, September 14– 7:30 a.m. Women’s QF, 8:30 a.m. Men’s QF, 9:30 a.m. Women’s SF, 10:30 a.m. Men’s SF, 11:30 a.m. Women’s Final, 12:30 p.m. Men’s Final and Battle of the Beaches Final at 1:30 p.m.

The Laguna Open is free to all. Bring a beach chair and come join the fun to watch many of the top AVP players battle it out for the last event of the AVP calendar.

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Sports

Three Medals Guide Track and Field at Big Ten Championships

Story Links EUGENE, Ore. – Rutgers track and field captured three medals and a total of eight podium finishes at the 2025 Big Ten Outdoor Championships. Brian O’Sullivan, Donavan Anderson and Chloe Timberg each secured bronze finishes in their respective events. The Scarlet Knights earned their first medal of […]

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49 minutes ago

May 19, 2025

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EUGENE, Ore. – Rutgers track and field captured three medals and a total of eight podium finishes at the 2025 Big Ten Outdoor Championships. Brian O’Sullivan, Donavan Anderson and Chloe Timberg each secured bronze finishes in their respective events.

The Scarlet Knights earned their first medal of the meet with O’Sullivan finishing third in the pole vault. He cleared a height of 5.49m (18′ 0″), while Nico Morales added a podium finish in the event as well. Morales cleared an identical height of 5.49m (18′ 0″) to finish fifth, needing three attempts to meet the mark.

Steve Coponi placed sixth in the javelin with a throw of 68.68m (225′ 4″) to give Rutgers another podium finish and close out the first day competition.

Rutgers wrapped up day three with two medals as Anderson captured bronze in the triple jump with a distance of 15.58m (51′ 1.5″) and Timberg capped her career with a fourth-straight outdoor medal. Timberg, the school record holder in the pole vault, finished third as she cleared a height of 4.38m (14′ 4.5″).

The Scarlet Knights also received podium finishes from Paige Floriea, who finished fourth in the long jump with a distance 6.14m (20′ 1.75″) and Faith Bethea in the triple jump with a leap of 12.81m (42′ 0.5″). The 4×400-meter relay team of Bryce Tucker, Lathan Brown, Joshua Babe and Jah’Mere Beasley finished seventh, running a time of 3:08.17.

The men’s team collected 21 points to place 15th out of 17 teams, while the women’s squad scored 13 points, finishing 15th out of 17 schools.

Rutgers will gear up for the NCAA East First Round beginning on Wednesday, May 28 through Saturday, May 31 at Jax Track at Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida.

Big Ten Championship Finishes

Men’s Results
Pole Vault
3. Brian O’Sullivan                                                5.49m (18′ 0″)
5. Nico Morales                                                     5.49m (18′ 0″)

Triple Jump
3. Donavan Anderson                                          15.58m (51′ 1.5″)

Javelin
6. Steve Coponi                                                     68.68m (225′ 4″)

4x400M
7. Bryce Tucker, Lathan Brown
Joshua Babe, Jah’Mere Beasley                          3:08.17

Women’s Results
Pole Vault
3. Chloe Timberg                                                   4.38m (14′ 4.5″)

Long Jump
4. Paige Floriea                                                      6.14m (20′ 1.75″)

Triple Jump
7. Faith Bethea                                                      12.81m (42′ 0.5″)

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Sydney school plunged into lockdown

The school where water polo coach Lilie James was murdered has been plunged into lockdown after reports a man had threatened staff. St Andrew’s Cathedral School, located in Sydney’s CBD, was locked down by police on Monday about 9.45am after reports a person had broken into the grounds. Lilie James was murdered at St Andrew’s […]

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1 hour ago

May 19, 2025

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The school where water polo coach Lilie James was murdered has been plunged into lockdown after reports a man had threatened staff.

St Andrew’s Cathedral School, located in Sydney’s CBD, was locked down by police on Monday about 9.45am after reports a person had broken into the grounds.

Lilie James was murdered at St Andrew’s Cathedral School. Picture: Facebook

DEAD BODY SYDNEY CBD — Police confirmed staff had been threatened. Picture: NewsWire / David Swift

Parents were alerted about the lockdown by text message, the Daily Mail reported.

The man allegedly “threatened staff and then returned to the campus”, a police spokesman told NewsWire.

“The school was placed in lockdown and a search of the building, on the corner of Druitt and Kent streets, was conducted with the assistance of specialist resources,” they said.

Despite “extensive searches”, the man could not be located.

He remains on the run, but the lockdown has since been lifted, according to police.

“An investigation is now under way into the incident, and inquiries continue to locate the man,” police said.

Initial reports from 7News indicate the man was wielding a weapon at the time of the incident, though this has not been confirmed by police.

Ms James was murdered by her former boyfriend. Picture: Facebook

Ms James was murdered by Paul Thijssen on the evening of October 25, 2023, when he cornered her inside a bathroom of the prestigious Sydney private school where they were colleagues.

The water polo coach died due to blunt force trauma to the head after being attacked with a hammer by her ex-partner, whom she had broken up with a few days before her murder.

Hours after the murder, Thijssen took his own life at Vaucluse, with his remains found in the rocks at Diamond Bay Reserve two days after Ms James’s murder.

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Rodriguez Claims Silver on Day One of IC4A Championships

Story Links FAIRFAX, Virginia—The Marist men’s track and field team raced on Sunday, day one of the ninth meet of the 2025 outdoor season, the IC4A Championships, which occurred at the GMU Field House in Fairfax, VA. Amari Mathis placed second in the 100-meter dash prelims with a time of 10.62, qualifying […]

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1 hour ago

May 19, 2025

Your Sports Nation

FAIRFAX, Virginia—The Marist men’s track and field team raced on Sunday, day one of the ninth meet of the 2025 outdoor season, the IC4A Championships, which occurred at the GMU Field House in Fairfax, VA.

Amari Mathis placed second in the 100-meter dash prelims with a time of 10.62, qualifying him for tomorrow’s finals.

Miles Chamberlain (11th) raced a PR of 3:55.46 in the 1500-meter run.

Gabriel Rodriguez brought home a silver medal for the men’s team with a time of 32:02.13 in the 10000-meter run, also earning him All-East honors.

ECAC Outdoor Championships

Sunday, May 17, 2025

GMU Field House

Fairfax, Virginia

400-Meter Dash: 19 – Easton Eberwein, 49.26

100-Meter Dash Prelims: 2 – Amari Mathis, 10.62

1500-Meter Run: 11 – Miles Chamberlain, 3:55.46, 18 – Logan Schaeffler, 4:04.89

3000-Meter Steeplechase: 9 – Kevin Cannon, 9:52.13

10000-Meter Run: 2 – Gabriel Rodriguez, 32:02.13