Season 13, Ep 18: A special episode. First we speak to Homaira Mershedi, Afghan community leader and veteran of humanitarian work, to get some sense of the current situation on the ground in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover. Then we talk through the tangled thicket of political ramifications around Australia withdrawing from a series against the Afghanistan men's team, while the women's team remains in exile in Melbourne with no support from the Afghan board or the ICC.

You can donate to the Afghan Australian Development Organisation at aado.org.au, or when in Melbourne get a meal at the Afghan Gallery Restaurant, 327 Brunswick Street in Fitzroy.

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Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

Title track by Urthboy

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Afghanistan and fading hope