The new Taliban government of Afghanistan has vowed to ban women from playing sports ‘where they get exposed’.

The fearsome insurgents are afraid of women players failing to cover ‘face and body’, according to the deputy head of the cultural commission, Ahmadullah Wasiq.

Mr Wasiq did not specify which sports are covered, but it is expected to be a blanket ban as he singled out cricket – where women already play with head coverings, long-sleeved tops and trousers.

He told Australian broadcaster SBS: ‘I don’t think women will be allowed to play cricket because it is not necessary that women should play cricket.

‘In cricket, they might face a situation where their face and body will not be covered. Islam does not allow women to be seen like this.

‘It is the media era, and there will be photos and videos, and then people watch it. Islam and the Islamic Emirate [Afghanistan] do not allow women to play cricket or play the kind of sports where they get exposed.’

It comes after the government unveiled a raft of draconian restrictions including bans on women’s sport and unauthorised protests.

All demonstrations now require official approval for the gathering itself as well as any slogans chanted by protesters.

Anyone caught attending non-sanctioned protests faces ‘severe legal consequences’, according to the interior ministry – although recent events suggest their real punishment may be more severe.

A number of people waving the national flag at an independence day rally last month were reportedly shot and killed by Taliban thugs, who have also been accused of savagely beating journalists covering protests.

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