Heather Knight: ICC should do more to help Afghanistan women

England captain Heather Knight has called for the International Cricket Council to do more for the Afghanistan women’s team, whom she feels have been “forgotten”.

Female participation in sport in the country has effectively been outlawed since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.

More than 20 members of their women’s cricket team fled to safety in Australia and previously asked the ICC to allow them to play as a refugee team.

The issue has gained further attention in recent weeks as UK politicians have written to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) calling for England’s men to refuse to play against Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy match in Lahore, Pakistan, on 26 February.

Knight said the situation is “complex” but she hopes to meet some members of the Afghanistan side during the women’s Ashes series in Australia, as they are playing in an exhibition match against a Cricket Without Borders XI on 30 January in Melbourne.

“I think it’s really good that it’s being talked about. Obviously, the situation in Afghanistan is heart-breaking,” Knight told BBC Sport before the opening game of the Ashes on Saturday (23:30 GMT).

“It’s a complex issue but I think as much as we can publicise the fact that the women’s team are playing out here, we should give those girls a voice because it’s a remarkable story that they’re actually here. They managed to get out of an extremely dire situation.

“I think those girls have been forgotten a lot. That is my honest opinion, which is a really sad thing. There hasn’t been a huge amount of leadership when it comes to Afghan women’s cricket team, so I’d love to see them have as much media as possible for that match.”