AFGHANISTAN head coach Jonathan Trott says his players are trying to “bring joy to the country” amid the assault on women’s rights under the Taliban regime.

Female sport has been effectively outlawed in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, with the women’s cricket team, who no longer compete internationally, living in exile in Australia.

There are bans on women working and girls over the age of 12 from secondary and higher education and while exemptions had existed in the medical profession, that was closed off in December.