An Irish Diary

Irony of playing Afghanistan in cricket

The Taliban have banned women’s sport, while Cricket Ireland received €70,000 to promote gender equality

Fri Aug 07 2026 - 06:00 • 1 MIN READ
Letters to the Editor. Illustration: Paul Scott
The Irish Times - Letters to the Editor.

Sir, – Why are Cricket Ireland playing five one-day internationals against the Afghanistan men’s team this month and planning to tour that country next year?

The Taliban have banned women’s sport, and several countries, including England and South Africa, have a policy not to arrange bilateral matches as a result.

In 2025, Cricket Ireland received more than €1.5 million in core funding from the Irish taxpayer. Ironically, this included €70,000 to promote gender equality. – Yours, etc,

ORLA PHILLIPS,

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