ICC and the Afghanistan issue

Days before the International Cricket Council (ICC) Board discusses Afghanistan’s status as a full member after the Taliban took over governance in the country, Geoff Allardice, acting CEO, ICC, said the new government has conveyed that it wouldn’t stop women’s cricket.

“They have said to us that women’s cricket will continue. They certainly haven’t given us an indication that it has stopped. Time will tell in terms of how that plays out,” said Allardice at an interaction with select mediapersons on Friday.

“We have been in regular communication with them from the time things changed in their country. We are hoping to have some meetings with their representatives.”

Next Tuesday, the ICC Board, apart from the Afghanistan issue, will look at the ICC cycle for the next eight years.

About the deadline for resumption of women’s cricket in Afghanistan, Allardice played it safe.

“I think that’s a bit premature. For the moment, the board is going to get an update on the situation and then think about taking any decision. It’s premature for me to speculate,” he said.

Cricket Australia recently postponed its scheduled Test against Afghanistan due to the women’s cricket issue.

Asked if the women cricketers not being allowed to take part would result in its men’s team getting suspended, Allardice said that the ICC will not interfere in bilateral arrangements.

“Our goal is to see men and women playing cricket in Afghanistan. Our view is that the best way to achieve that is to stay closely connected with the cricket board and try to influence [things] through the cricket board,” Allardice said.

“They are on a steady trajectory of development there and we would like to see that continue.

“How other members react to their bilateral arrangements with Afghanistan is up to them. We will be working through their situation at both board levels. They are the agent for developing cricket in their country.”

Allardice reiterated cricket’s importance in driving change in Afghanistan.

“Afghanistan is our member and they are going through some change at the moment. We are just trying to liaise with them to ensure that cricket is being governed, and the board is being governed in accordance with their constitution,” he said.