Cricket Australia (CA) announced the postponement of the three-match men’s T20 international series against Afghanistan which was scheduled for August this year.
CA said it would, “continue to engage with the Afghanistan Cricket Board in anticipation of improved conditions for women and girls in the country”.
The latest decision comes after further deliberation with the Australian government. “The government’s advice is that conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan are getting worse. For this reason, we have maintained our previous position and will postpone the bilateral series against Afghanistan,” CA said in a statement.
“CA continues its strong commitment to supporting participation by women and girls in cricket around the world and will continue to actively engage the International Cricket Council and work closely with the Afghanistan Cricket Board to determine what actions could be taken to support the resumption of bilateral matches in the future,” the statement added.
The Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021 resulted in restrictions on women’s rights to work and study.
CA had cancelled a single Test match against Afghanistan, which was originally scheduled to be played in Hobart in November 2021. Additionally, CA withdrew from a three-match ODI series that was supposed to be held in the UAE in March 2023.
As an immediate fallout of that decision, Afghanistan star player Rashid Khan had threatened to boycott returning to the BBL before taking a u-turn and returning to the Adelaide Strikers before missing the tournament through injury.
International Cricket Council CEO Geoff Allardice, speaking to the BBC, had said the ICC would continue to support Afghanistan as a full member.
“We have spoken with the Afghanistan Cricket Board and their position is they have to operate within the laws of the country and the rules as set by the government, and really the question for the ICC Board is ‘do we support our member in their ability to promote cricket within the rules set by the government of the country?’, and the view is yes.”
