Cricket Ireland (CI) has stood by its decision to stage a bilateral series against Afghanistan this summer, despite admitting that the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls has created “moral discomfort” within its board.
Several international sides, including Australia and England, have either cancelled or chosen not to arrange bilateral fixtures with Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. However, Ireland’s men are scheduled to host Afghanistan for a five-match ODI series between August 5 and 14, following approval from the CI board during a single-issue meeting that lasted 90 minutes on Wednesday evening.
Sarah Keane, who recently assumed the role of CI chief executive, confirmed that the board had also invited the exiled Afghanistan women’s team to play matches in Ireland while explaining the rationale behind hosting the men’s side.
“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.
“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.”
Keane, who joined CI from Swim Ireland, added that the board’s perspective had partly been influenced by a perceived shift within the Olympic movement regarding Russian athletes. “The general global principle across all international sports at this point is that athletes and players be treated differently from their government,” she said.
The comments came as Cricket Ireland unveiled its men’s and women’s home international schedule for 2026. Ireland’s men are set to host New Zealand for a one-off Test, and India for two T20Is. They will also take part in a T20I tri-series involving West Indies and Pakistan. Meanwhile, Ireland’s women will play an ODI series against West Indies, compete in the T20 World Cup, and travel to England for three ODIs.
Ireland had initially planned to host Bangladesh this summer, but that tour was cancelled due to logistical and financial challenges. Afghanistan’s originally scheduled multi-format visit was subsequently revised into a five-match ODI series. Ireland Test captain Andy Balbirnie expressed his disappointment on Instagram, writing: “Won’t lie, very disappointed to only have 8 home games this international summer.”
The Test against New Zealand in May will mark only Ireland’s third men’s home Test and their first against the Black Caps. Preparations will include a four-day “best vs best” warm-up fixture in Malahide. New Zealand, who are set to play three Tests in England afterwards, could be without certain players depending on their IPL commitments.
India’s short tour, which serves as a stopover en route to England for eight white-ball matches, will be played at the Civil Service Cricket Club Ground in Stormont, Belfast. CI chair Brian MacNeice explained that Malahide in Dublin was unavailable due to “a whole pile of logistical and organisational reasons” including concerts scheduled nearby.
Ireland also confirmed plans for a men’s tour of Pakistan early next year, featuring a Test match, and expects to take part in qualification events for both the 50-over World Cup and the Olympic Games during the summer of 2027.
Ireland international fixtures, 2026 season
Men’s fixtures:
- May 27–30: Test vs New Zealand (Stormont)
- June 26 and 28: T20Is vs India (Stormont)
- August 5, 7, 10, 12 and 14: ODIs vs Afghanistan (first two Bready, last three Stormont)
Women’s fixtures:
- May 28–June 4: T20I tri-series vs West Indies and Pakistan (Clontarf)
- June 12–July 5: Women’s T20 World Cup (England)
- July 10, 12 and 15: ODIs vs West Indies (Bready)
- September 1, 3 and 6: ODIs vs England (England)
