Benafsha Hashimi became a contracted Afghan cricketer as a women’s national side was being developed before the Taliban returned in 2021. She fled to Australia at 18, where many teammates also formed a team in exile. Hashimi played for the Afghan Women XI in Melbourne. While women’s rights in Afghanistan continued to decline, exiled athletes kept competing from abroad. In Canada, FIFA approved the Afghanistan women’s football team’s return to international competition. The displaced footballers had played under other titles, including Afghan Women United, and needed an amendment to FIFA governance rules. The amendment removed the requirement for approval from the Afghanistan Football Federation, enabling World Cup pathways. Hashimi celebrated the news and said cricket and football have both been fighting since arriving in Australia, while her cricket team still awaits full ICC recognition.
"Hashimi awoke to the news with joy and wonder: what now for her team? They continue to wait for full recognition, for the International Cricket Council to follow the precedent set by Fifa. We were so happy [for the footballers], and then later on we made some [social media] videos to congratulate them and tell the I"
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