Australia postpones T20 series against Afghanistan
: Cricket Australia has once again refused to play the scheduled T20 series against Afghanistan. The matches were set to be hosted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Cricket Australia has elaborated on the reasons for not proceeding with the series.
There's a major update regarding the T20 series between Afghanistan and Australia, which was planned for this August comprising three matches. Cricket Australia (CA) made the decision to postpone this tour, which was proposed under the ICC Future Tours Programme. While Afghanistan was set to host these matches in the UAE, Australia has now retracted its participation.
Australia's retraction is due to the ongoing human rights violations against women and girls under the Taliban regime, leading to the postponement of the series previously slated for August.
This marks the third instance where CA has declined to play with the Afghan team following the Taliban's control over Afghanistan in September 2021. The Taliban had immediately imposed a ban on women's participation in sports, which CA had vehemently criticized at the time.
Previously, Cricket Australia canceled a one-off Test match against Afghanistan scheduled for November 2021 in Hobart. More recently, Australia withdrew from a three-match ODI series meant to occur in the UAE in March 2023.
However, Cricket Australia remains open to resuming bilateral series in the future, provided there are improvements in the situation for women and girls in Afghanistan.
Reasons Behind the Tour Cancellation Disclosed by Cricket Australia
Today (March 19), Cricket Australia stated based on the Australian government reports, the conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan are deteriorating. Therefore, CA has maintained its previous stance and postponed the bilateral series. Their statement reaffirmed CA's commitment to supporting women's and girls' participation in cricket globally and continued engagement with the International Cricket Council. Cooperation with the Afghanistan Cricket Board is intended to determine potential future actions for reinstating the matches.
ICC Continues to Support Afghanistan
Afghanistan remains the only full ICC member country that did not send a team to the Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup held in South Africa due to the domestic prohibition on women playing cricket.
ICC CEO Geoff Allardice stated in an interview with the BBC that the ICC would continue to support Afghanistan as a full member. He highlighted discussions with the Afghanistan Cricket Board, emphasizing that they must operate under national laws and government-mandated regulations.
Following the Taliban takeover, many Afghan female cricketers fled to Australia. One such cricketer, Nazeera Amiri, shared with ABC last year the significance of countries like Australia refusing to play against Afghanistan - it makes a difference.
It's noteworthy that Rashid Khan, an Afghan star player, expressed strong opposition to the cancellation of the March 2023 ODI series, threatening to boycott the KFC BBL.
Teams Confronted in the World Cup
Despite the bilateral issues, Australia has continued to play against Afghanistan in ICC-sanctioned tournaments, most recently defeating them during the ODI World Cup in India. In that match, Glenn Maxwell made an indelible impact with a remarkable 201 not out off 128 balls.
