MELBOURNE, Australia — The Afghanistan women’s cricket team played its first match in more than three years on Thursday, marking a symbolic return to the sport after fleeing Taliban rule in 2021.

Competing under the name Afghanistan Women’s XI rather than the official national team, the players took on Cricket Without Borders in a charity T20 match in Melbourne. Unlike their male counterparts, they are not recognized by the Afghanistan Cricket Board or the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The match, backed by Cricket Australia, aimed to highlight the plight of Afghan women in sports and inspire young Afghan girls to take up the game.

“This is more than a match—it’s a movement for change,” said Nahida Sapan, the team’s captain. “We hope this opens doors for Afghan women, not just in cricket, but in education and beyond.”

After the Taliban takeover in August 2021, women’s sports were effectively banned, forcing many athletes into exile. Of the 25 women once contracted by the Afghanistan Cricket Board, 22 have resettled in Australia. They have repeatedly lobbied the ICC for recognition as a refugee team but have received no formal response.

“A profound sadness remains that we, as women, cannot represent our country like the male cricketers,” the team wrote in a joint letter last year.

Mel Jones, a commentator who helped some of the players escape Afghanistan, acknowledged the complexities of cricket governance but stressed the need for dialogue.

“We can’t turn our backs on these women and hope silence will make it go away,” Jones said. “They were the contracted Afghanistan players before the fall of Kabul, and they deserve the chance to play again.”

Despite continued pleas, the ICC has not recognized the team, citing Afghanistan’s national laws. The Afghanistan Cricket Board retains ICC membership despite not meeting the requirement to support women’s cricket.

For players like Benafsha Hashimi, the Melbourne match was a crucial first step toward greater recognition.

“We can’t jump straight to our goal—we have to go step by step,” she said. “But this is a huge step.”

Firooza Amiri, another exiled player, echoed that sentiment.

“It doesn’t matter if we play as Afghan Exiles, Afghan XI, or Afghanistan Refugee Team,” she said. “We just want to represent Afghanistan in some way and inspire the women inside and outside the country.”