In the pursuit of acknowledgement: the role of social media to facilitate Afghan women cricketers’ global campaign of recognition

UN Women has warned that ‘The Taliban is closer than ever to achieving its vision of a society that completely erases women from public life’. The Taliban regime in Afghanistan has barred women and girls from participating in all sports since the fall of Kabul in 2021. Their systematic and widespread discrimination against women in sports is not confined to Afghanistan alone. Afghan sportswomen in exile continue to face significant challenges, including social marginalisation and limited institutional support. An example is the exiled Afghan women cricketers in Australia, who are living through challenging times and are struggling to gain official recognition to represent their country internationally. This paper analyses the role of social media in Afghan women cricketers’ global campaign for recognition. Drawing on the Communities of Practice framework, individual interviews and a focus group discussion were conducted with exiled Afghan women cricketers living in Australia. It is argued that Afghan women cricketers in exile are strategically using social media, particularly Instagram, to advocate for their inclusion in international women's cricket, maintain connections with teammates and family, and challenge gender stereotypes and marginalisation in cricket. While social media have elevated their voices for change and drawn the much-needed global attention, we argue that further efforts are required to address their challenging conditions and to ensure their full inclusion in international women's cricket.