Australia's SBS TV has quoted a Taliban spokesperson as saying that women's sports' and women's cricket specifically ' will be banned by his group in Afghanistan. "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," the network quoted Ahmadullah Wasiq, the deputy head of the Taliban's cultural commission, as saying.

"It is the media era, and there will be photos and videos, and then people watch it. Islam and the Islamic Emirate do not allow women to play cricket or play the kind of sports where they get exposed." Wasiq last month told SBS that the Taliban would allow men's cricket to continue and that it has given approval for the men's national team to travel to Australia for a test match in November.