Melbourne, Nov 15 (IANS): The Afghanistan women’s cricket team, currently living as refugees in Australia, is set to play a T20 match against the Cricket Without Borders XI in Melbourne on January 30. This will mark the team’s first time reuniting since fleeing Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover, which barred them from playing at home.

The match at Junction Oval coincides with the start of the pink-ball Women’s Ashes Test at the MCG.

"Many people across cricket and the community have come together to provide support for members of the Afghanistan women's team since their relocation to Australia and this match will be a celebration of that work," Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley said in a statement on Friday.

The Australian government has played a role in creating this opportunity for members of the Afghanistan women’s team, who have been living in Canberra and Melbourne since the Taliban took control in 2021. Following the Taliban’s ban on women’s sports in Afghanistan, the Australian men’s team indefinitely postponed the one-off Test match originally scheduled for 2021.

Earlier this year, the 17 contracted Afghan women players reached out to the ICC, requesting assistance to establish a refugee team in Australia.

"Our goals in having a refugee team are to develop and showcase our talent, give hope to the women remaining in Afghanistan, and to draw attention to the challenges women of Afghanistan face," the letter said. "Like the Afghanistan men's team, we aim to compete at the highest levels. We want to recruit and train girls and women who love cricket to show the world the talent of Afghan women, and to demonstrate the great victories they can achieve if given a chance through the leadership and financial support of the ICC."

"I'm delighted that their ambition to play together will be achieved in this exhibition match which will be a wonderful addition to the many events around the day-night women's Ashes Test," Hockley said.