Afghanistan's former all-rounder Mirwais Ashraf appointed as new cricket chief

Former Afghanistan's all-rounder Mirwais Ashraf has been appointed as the acting chairman of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Wednesday (November 10) to replace Azizullah Fazli, who was in charge for two months.

An official statement on the Twitter handle of Afghanistan's cricket read, "The prime minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has appointed Mirwais Ashraf as acting chairman of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB)."

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As per local media reports, the decision was taken after demands by national players while meeting Taliban officials in Abu Dhabi during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021.

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After the Taliban rapidly seized control of Afghanistan this year in August and the US forces withdrew after 20 years in the country, the status of the participation of women in sports remains uncertain.

However, Taliban officials have said they will not repeat the harsh rule of their previous government, which banned most girls' education and forbade women from going out in public without a male guardian.

Recently, Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed on Friday (November 5) it has postponed the Afghanistan Test in Hobart scheduled for November 27 until the situation regarding the women's game in the South Asian nation becomes clearer.

CA had said in September it would scrap the test if the Taliban government, which took power in August, did not allow women and girls to play the sport.

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"Following extensive consultation with relevant stakeholders, Cricket Australia and the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) have agreed to postpone the inaugural men's test match against Afghanistan," CA said in a statement.

"CA is committed to support growing the game for women and men in Afghanistan and around the world, however, given the present uncertainty, CA felt it necessary to postpone the test match until a later time when the situation is clearer."

The ACB said the postponement followed an "agreement between the boards".

The International Cricket Council - which has rules stating all member countries should have both men's and women's teams - has been cautious, saying it will discuss the matter in a board meeting later this month.

Still, the ACB announced its team will tour Zimbabwe for three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals next month.

The dates of the matches are yet to be finalised.

(With inputs from agencies)