Afghanistan women cricketers have had to flee their country (Photo by AREF KARIMI/AFP via Getty ... [+] Images)AFP via Getty Images

A slice of revenue won't be set aside to help fund Afghanistan women's cricket, with the high cost of keeping their men's team afloat believed to be part of the reasoning.

The International Cricket Council's 17-person board, with Indra Nooyi as its only female director, discussed the issue on Monday in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Fearing their safety after the Taliban's bloody takeover in 2021, female cricketers sought refuge overseas with most of the team fleeing to Australia. It effectively ended the fledgling development of women's cricket in the war-torn country.

It has been a thorny issue and polarized the board. An ICC working group was set up in late 2021 and tasked with investigating the situation in Afghanistan.

The ICC has been increasingly under pressure to act and the situation heightened recently when members of the Afghanistan women’s cricket team issued a plea to re-form as a refugee side based in Australia.

Women's cricket in Afghanistan has effectively ended since the Taliban regained power (Photo by Aref ... [+] Karimi/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images

As reported by ESPNcricinfo, there had been a push from boards such as Australia and New Zealand to set aside a percentage of Afghanistan revenue to fund women's cricket.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board receives about $17 million annually as part of the ICC's revenue distribution model.

But it is learned that the proposal fell flat, with the high cost of Afghanistan's men's team believed to be cited as a reason why funds can't be deducted from the ACB's distribution. Afghanistan do not play cricket at home due to security issues and have been mostly based in the UAE and India.

Afghanistan has been based overseas (Photo by INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images

In recent years, there has been debate over whether Afghanistan's Full Membership should be revoked. Full Membership grants countries extra power and funds, with only 12 nations having the status in cricket's antiquated tiered membership.

ICC regulations require members to support men’s and women’s national teams. When Afghanistan received it in 2017, an exemption was invoked on the proviso that they take active measures to develop women's cricket. Before the Taliban takeover, the ACB had announced central contracts for a pool of women cricketers.

Despite the scrutiny, Afghanistan won't receive sanctions. "Afghanistan was admitted knowingly that they don't have a women's team, so we can't change midway," a board director told me. "For bilateral cricket, it is up to individual countries to discuss privately."

Australia does not currently play bilaterals against Afghanistan. Cricket Australia earlier this year called off a three-match T20 series against Afghanistan planned for August in the UAE due to the rights of women and girls in the Taliban-ruled country "getting worse".

After Afghanistan avoided ICC sanctions last year, the working group was set to be disbanded only to remain intact due to Australia and England taking human rights stances.

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There has been reluctance from some administrators to sanction Afghanistan, which is considered something of a cricket fairy-tale and ascended to being the country's most popular sport after players in the 1990s returned home from Pakistan refugee camps.

The men's cricket team is seen as a symbol of pride as gleaned when rare public euphoria erupted on the streets across Afghanistan after they reached the semi-final at the recent T20 World Cup.

But that success is tainted for many by sadness over the pall of Afghanistan women's cricket as uncertainty for the refugee players continues.