The Taliban on Wednesday said that Afghanistan women will no longer be able to participate in sports including cricket as sporting activities would “expose their bodies”.

Speaking to reporters, Ahmadullah Wasiq, deputy head of the Taliban’s cultural commission said that sports activities were not necessary for women.

“I don’t think women will be allowed to play cricket because it is not necessary that women should play cricket,” Wasiq said. “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,” he added.

“It is the media era, and there will be photos and videos, and then people will watch it. Islam and the Islamic Emirate (Afghanistan) do not allow women to play cricket or play the kind of sports where they get exposed,” Wasiq added.

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Similarly, the Taliban had recently decreed that only a woman teacher would teach female students but if that was not possible then “old men” of good character could fill in.

The Taliban also made it mandatory that women attending private Afghan universities must wear an abaya robe (full-length dress) and niqab (garment that covers the face). They said the classes must be segregated by gender — or at least divided by a curtain.

The decree applies to private colleges and universities, which have mushroomed since the Taliban’s first rule ended in 2001.

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On Tuesday, the Taliban announced the formation of a new Afghanistan government headed by Mullah Hassan Akhund. It is reportedly said that this will be an “acting” government and not a permanent one.

In November 2020, twenty-five female cricketers were awarded central contracts by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB).

It also held a 21-day training camp for 40 female cricketers in Kabul. The International Cricket Council (ICC) requires all 12 of its full members to have a national women’s team and only full members of the ICC are permitted to play Test matches.