Don’t boycott men’s cricket, former Afghan women’s chief pleads

ISLAMABAD – International cricketers should support Afghanistan’s men’s team, not punish them by boycotting matches if the Taliban bars women from playing, the former director of the women’s side said.

Tuba Sangar, who fled the country for Canada shortly after the fall of the country to the hardline Islamist group, warned that sports sanctions would damage the game at the grassroots — including for women and girls.

“It’s not a good idea to boycott the male team. They did a lot for Afghanistan — they introduced Afghanistan to the world in a positive way,” Sangar told AFP on Tuesday.

“If we don’t have a male team any more, there would be no…