Cricket Ireland Defends Afghanistan Series Amid Taliban Concerns With ODI Fixtures

Ireland will host Afghanistan for a five-match ODI series across Bready and Stormont in August 2026.

Cricket Ireland has justified its decision to host Afghanistan national cricket team for a five-match ODI series this summer, even as concerns persist over the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls. The series, scheduled from August 5 to 14 in Belfast, was approved after a focused 90-minute board meeting earlier this week.

While several cricketing nations have avoided bilateral engagements with Afghanistan since the Taliban regained control in 2021, Ireland have opted to proceed, calling it a decision taken in the broader interest of the organisation.

Sarah Keane, the newly appointed CEO of Cricket Ireland, addressed the issue candidly. “Cricket Ireland has made a decision to play Afghanistan in Belfast this year,” Keane said on Friday. “I’m not going to fob you off by saying that there’s financial reasons and there’s legal reasons. There aren’t. This has been a decision by Cricket Ireland in what it believes is the best interest of the organisation as a whole, and the decision was made by the board this week.

“I want to acknowledge up front the moral discomfort that I think we all sit with around this decision and are clear abhorrence of how the regime treats women in particular, but we also see it very much as an opportunity to reference the Afghan women’s team, the displaced team.”

Invitation Extended to Displaced Afghanistan Women’s Team

Alongside hosting the men’s side, Cricket Ireland hasIreland will host Afghanistan for a five-match ODI series across Bready and Stormont in August 2026. also taken a step towards inclusivity by inviting the exiled Afghanistan women’s national cricket team to play fixtures in Ireland. Discussions are ongoing, although scheduling challenges may delay their participation this year.

Ireland vs Afghanistan ODI Series 2026 Schedule

Date	Match	Venue
August 5	1st ODI	Bready
August 7	2nd ODI	Bready
August 10	3rd ODI	Stormont
August 12	4th ODI	Stormont
August 14	5th ODI	Stormont

Keane emphasised the importance of keeping the conversation around the Afghan women’s team alive on the global stage.

“We didn’t just invite the Afghan men to come here. We’ve also invited the Afghan women’s team to come here, and we’re in discussions around how that might happen. Scheduling would be a problem for this year, but it’s really important that they don’t fall off the agenda because if you decide not to play and you decide not to talk about it, then they’re not on the agenda.

“We need the plight of the Afghan women’s team to be very much on the agenda. They need to be supported and a lot of work has been done by the ICC and others to put a fund together to try and support them.”

ALSO READ | Rahul Dravid Praises Sanju Samson For Outstanding T20 World Cup 2026

She also pointed out that global sporting bodies are increasingly separating athletes from political regimes when making such decisions.

“The general global principle across all international sports at this point is that athletes and players be treated differently from their government,” she said.