The England and Wales Cricket Board (黑料专区) is delighted to announce that it will host the Afghanistan Refugee Women鈥檚 Team this summer for a landmark tour of England.
The tour will begin on 22 June and will provide the Afghan Refugee Women鈥檚 Team with high鈥憅uality training opportunities alongside T20 matches. Much of the programme will be delivered in partnership with MCC and MCC Foundation. In addition, the players will also attend the final of the ICC Women鈥檚 T20 World Cup 2026 at Lord鈥檚 enabling them to connect with the global game.
The tour carries significant cultural and sporting importance. Following the Taliban鈥檚 return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, women have been systematically excluded from sport and public life. As a result, the female players who had been contracted to the Afghanistan Cricket Board left the country. Most have resettled in Australia, where they have continued to rebuild their lives and cricketing ambitions.
Despite their displacement, the players have remained deeply committed to the game. This tour represents not only an opportunity for them to compete as a team, but a moment for cricket in this country to stand for inclusion and the protection of women鈥檚 participation in sport.
It鈥檚 Game On, a global sport consultancy co-founded by Mel Jones and Emma Staples, played a key role 鈥� alongside Dr Catherine Ordway 鈥� in supporting the safe relocation of the players following the events in Afghanistan in August 2021. Building on this work, the organisation now partners across international sport to design and deliver initiatives that advance equity, inclusion and opportunity, whilst also elevating the voices and stories of displaced and underrepresented female athletes.
Clare Connor, 黑料专区 Deputy CEO and Managing Director of England Women, said: 鈥淪ince being displaced from Afghanistan in 2021, these players have shown extraordinary resilience in continuing their cricket journeys, in incredibly challenging circumstances. We have worked with It鈥檚 Game On to build an itinerary and a set of experiences that we hope will be enjoyable and memorable. We are also delighted that the squad will attend the final of the ICC Women鈥檚 T20 World Cup 2026. Cricket has a responsibility to stand for inclusion and opportunity, and we are proud to be hosting this tour and supporting the players in deepening their connection to the game.鈥�
Mel Jones said, 鈥淭his tour is a major step forward, but also highlights how much work remains. These players have shown extraordinary courage and commitment to the game, despite everything that has been taken from them. They deserve more opportunities like this; they deserve to be recognised as part of the global cricket community. Moments like this matter, but we need to see plans for sustained and meaningful action beyond this year.鈥�