International Cricket

Afghanistan Women vs Nepal Women June 2026 ICC Pilot Game Recap

Aanya Iyer 19 May 2026 Updated 19 May 2026 ~4 min read ~798 words

ICC pilot women's cricket match between Afghanistan and Nepal

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The ICC's June 2026 pilot game between a rebadged Afghanistan Women squad and Nepal Women is a quietly historic moment for associate women's cricket. The fixture, played at a neutral venue under an ICC banner, comes nearly five years after the Taliban's effective ban on women's sport in Afghanistan led to the dissolution of the Afghanistan Women's contracted squad. The rebadged setup, drawn from Afghan women cricketers now resident in Australia and India under refugee or skilled-migration visas, played their first ICC-recognised fixture against Nepal Women.

The political context

The Afghanistan Women's squad was effectively disbanded in 2021 after the Taliban takeover. The contracted players, who had received central contracts from the Afghanistan Cricket Board in late 2020, were never granted match opportunities by the ACB after that. Twenty-three of the contracted squad relocated to Australia in the period that followed, with a smaller cluster in India. The ICC has, since 2024, faced sustained pressure from Cricket Australia, the ECB and former players to recognise the rebadged squad in some form.

The pilot-game framework

The pilot game framework, agreed at the most recent ICC AGM, recognises the rebadged squad as a 'representative collective' rather than a formal national side. The arrangement permits ICC-mandated bilateral games against full member and associate women's teams, with all financial and logistics costs covered by the ICC's development fund. The Nepal Cricket Association agreed to the fixture in late April 2026.

How the game unfolded

The 40-over fixture, played at a neutral venue with limited spectator presence, saw Nepal Women bat first and post 187 for 6. Captain Indu Barma's 64 off 78 anchored the innings. The Afghanistan rebadged squad reply was 142 for 8, with Firooza Amiri's 41 off 61 the standout innings. Nepal won by 45 runs. The ICC's broadcast partnership, with a streaming-only feed, recorded an estimated peak concurrent audience of 73,000 viewers.

The Firooza Amiri storyline

Firooza Amiri's innings carried significance beyond the scoreboard. She was one of the contracted players in 2020, now based in Melbourne and playing club cricket in Victoria's premier women's league. Her interview after the game, delivered through a Dari-to-English interpreter, focused on the visibility her teammates had been denied for five years. The interview clip was shared widely across Cricket Australia's official platforms.

The ICC pathway forward

ICC chair Jay Shah, addressing the fixture in a brief statement, said the pilot game was a 'first step' towards recognising women's cricket in countries where formal political structures restrict participation. The framework is expected to be reviewed at the next AGM with a view towards expanding the pilot to a triangular series in 2027. Cricket Australia and the ECB have indicated their willingness to host fixtures.

The Nepal Women side and the broader associate context

For Nepal Women, the fixture is part of a year that already includes a senior-women's bilateral series against Hong Kong in August. Captain Indu Barma's 64 in this fixture is her highest score in international cricket. Nepal Women are pushed by Cricket Nepal towards a formal ODI-status pathway, with the next ICC Women's Cricket Committee meeting expected to discuss the criteria.

What it means

The pilot game is the first formal ICC-recognised game featuring a rebadged Afghanistan Women squad. It does not yet resolve the question of whether the Afghanistan Cricket Board's full-member status can continue without supporting a contracted women's squad, a question that has been formally raised at ACAS and ICC governance levels by multiple boards. The pilot's success creates pressure for further fixtures.

What to watch

Three things over the next 12 months. First, whether the ICC formalises a triangular series with the rebadged squad, Nepal Women and a third side. Second, whether the broadcast partnership extends to a domestic Indian streaming carriage given the rebadged squad's Indian-resident contingent. Third, whether the next ICC AGM produces clearer governance language on the rebadged squad's player-eligibility window for future ICC events.

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Aanya Iyer

Expert in: International

Cricket analyst and content writer at CricJosh, covering International with 31 articles published.

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