Australia's cricket board said it will scrap a planned test match against the Afghanistan men's team if the Taliban rulers do not allow women to play the sport.
Australian broadcaster SBS quoted a Taliban representative as saying he did not think women would be allowed to play cricket because it was "not necessary" and it would be against Islam if women players faced a situation where their face and body might be "uncovered".
Cricket Australia said driving the growth of women's cricket was "incredibly important" to the board.
"Our vision for cricket is that it is a sport for all and we support the game unequivocally for women at every level," CA said.
Australia were scheduled to host their first-ever test against Afghanistan on November 27 at Hobart and CA said last week planning was well underway for the one-off match.
Australia's sports minister Richard Colbeck said the Taliban's position was "deeply concerning".
Reuters
