Taliban bans women from participating in sports

Afghanistan women will be banned from participating in sports, including cricket, said Ahmadullah Wasiq, the deputy head of the Taliban's cultural commission, in an interview with Australia's SBS TV. 

"In cricket, they might face a situation where their face and body will not be covered. Islam does not allow women to be seen like this," quoted Ahmadullah Wasiq.

Last month, Ahmadullah Wasiq said that they will allow the men's team to participate in a test match against Australia in November. Cricket Australia, in a statement on Thursday, said that it would cancel the test if the Taliban bans women from playing cricket. 

Australia's Sports Minister Richard Colbeck has urged ICC to take action if the Taliban government bans women's cricket. “Driving the growth of women’s cricket globally is incredibly important to Cricket Australia,” the statement said. “Our vision for cricket is that it is a sport for all and we support the game unequivocally for women at every level.

Earlier, Taliban had told had it would honour women's rights but the formation of an all male interim government has raised concerns among the citizens.