England men's cricket team has stepped forward to financially support Afghanistan's women's cricket team, who have been exiled from the sport. The men's team has donated 20,000 euros to assist the team. The funds were contributed to Marylebone Cricket Club's global refugee cricket fund through the Team England Player Partnership (TEPP) fund. The MCC board has set a goal to raise 1 million euros to provide further support for the Afghanistan women's cricket team. England's support for Afghanistan's women cricketers Since the Taliban's takeover, Afghan women have been banned from sports and education. Many women cricketers fled to Australia and other countries, seeking opportunities to rebuild their careers. In January, after several years, the Afghanistan women's team represented their country in an exhibition match against Cricket Without Borders. While Afghan women remain barred from playing cricket, the men's team continues to participate in major tournaments. This disparity has drawn criticism from activists, some of whom have called for protests against the men's team. Also read: Prince Yadav can do no wrong against the Nawabs of Hyderabad Earlier this year, the England Cricket Board (ECB) faced political pressure to forfeit their Champions Trophy fixture against Afghanistan. Despite numerous politicians signing a petition in favor of the boycott, the ECB proceeded with the match. Instead, the board chose to provide financial support to the Afghan women's team. During that period, ECB chief executive Richard Gould explained their stance to Sky Sports, pointing out that a boycott would only serve the Taliban's interests. "I think if you end up boycotting a game, the Taliban won't care. Half the Taliban don't want cricket at all being played in Afghanistan, so that doesn't help the Afghani people, and that's where our priorities are," Gould said. He further called upon the International Cricket Council (ICC) to take appropriate actions and ensure a strong message is conveyed. "We need to make sure that the ICC takes action because we need to make sure that as a sport, as a global sport, we are sending the appropriate messages," he added. While some players from Afghanistan's men's team have voiced their concerns against the ban, the future remains uncertain for Afghan women cricketers.