- Afghanistan’s exiled women’s cricket team visited King Charles at Clarence House as part of their campaign for official international recognition and to urge the International Cricket Council (ICC) to sanction the Taliban.
- The team, forced into refuge after the Taliban’s 2021 ban on women playing sport, seeks the same status afforded to Afghanistan’s men’s team by the ICC, which would allow them to compete internationally.
- During their visit, the team met King Charles, Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer, and the UK’s special envoy to Afghanistan, pressing for the ICC to impose sanctions on the Taliban for their oppressive ban on women’s sport.
- Team members, including wicketkeeper Ekil Latifi and all-rounder Shabnam Ahsan, expressed their determination to represent Afghan women and fight for their right to play cricket, highlighting their role as a voice for those still in Afghanistan.
- The team, currently hosted by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and supported by figures like Mel Jones, presented King Charles with a signed shirt and a decorated cricket bat, with the King expressing his support and wishing them success.
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