King meets women's cricket team that is not allowed to exist

Image source, PA Media Image caption, The King met the Afghan women's cricket team and faced a tricky question By Sean Coughlan Royal correspondent Published 17 minutes ago King Charles has given a symbolic show of support for the Afghan women's cricket team - which is now in exile and, because of the Taliban regime's ban on women's sport, is not allowed to represent its country. The women told him how they escaped the Taliban in Afghanistan to keep their dreams of playing cricket alive. "I'm so glad that you can pursue what you want to do," the King told the cricketers, giving them an enthusiastic welcome in Clarence House on a scorching morning. Cricketer Ekil Latifi, who has not seen her family in Afghanistan for five years, said the team was representing all the women not allowed to play sport, adding: "It's all about the Afghan women back in our country." King Charles has met many touring sports teams - but this was unusual in being a team that is not officially allowed to exist. The Taliban block on women's sport meant that Afghanistan's national cricket team for women was no longer allowed to take part in official competitions as representatives of the country. Most of the team has now left Afghanistan, with the majority becoming refugees in Australia. The King was showing his backing as the team arrived to play some exhibition matches, taking place while the women's T20 World Cup is hosted this summer in England. "If you lose, you can blame me for interrupting your training," he told them. Image source, Reuters Image caption, The King was showing his support for a team that cannot play in the World Cup Latifi, who left her own country in 2021 at the age of 17, during the evacuations from Afghanistan, wants the team to inspire women who are blocked from playing sport. The cricket team's survival - and this royal meeting - was a chance to speak up for women in Afghanistan and to show "all the things that they can't do there", she said. She said that cricket had become her life, as she now worked as a coach, but it was also a lesson in not giving up. "In life, you get one chance. In cricket, if you're a batter, you might just bat once," she said. Her ambition for the Afghan women's cricket team is to be able to play again, as the men's team currently does, as part of the official cricketing world and under their own national flag. Team-mate Shabnam Snahsan said it was "so disappointing" that the team could not take part in this summer's World Cup. But she was delighted that the Afghan women's team was meeting the King and welcomed the public show of solidarity. "Back in Afghanistan, women don't have the right to play cricket, even to go out, to study or anything," she said. "We're here to play cricket - but it's not just cricket, we're here to fight for them and this has meant a lot for us." Image source, Reuters Image caption, Ekil Latifi asked the King to say a "posh word" for her In the Clarence House gardens, the King was given a signed