Cricket Australia has once again refused to play the scheduled series of cricket matches against Afghanistan. Although these matches were to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Cricket Australia has also given the reason for not playing the series with Afghanistan.
A big update has come out for the 3-match T20 series between Afghanistan and Australia to be held in August this year. Actually, Cricket Australia (CA) has decided to postpone this tour. This three-match T20 series between Australia and Afghanistan was proposed under the ICC's Future Tour Programme. This series was to be hosted by Afghanistan, whose matches were expected to be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Image Source: ICC
But now Australia has stepped back from this proposed series. 'Cricket Australia' said that the human rights of women and girls are being violated under the Taliban rule. For this reason, it has been decided to postpone the series to be held in August.
Cricket Australia said today (March 19) that according to the Australian government, the situation for women and girls in Afghanistan is getting worse. For this reason, we have maintained our previous position and postponed the bilateral series against Afghanistan. Cricket Australia said in its statement – CA continues its strong commitment to supporting the participation of women and girls in cricket around the world and will continue to actively engage the International Cricket Council. Cricket Australia will work closely with the Afghanistan Cricket Board to determine what actions can be taken in the future to allow the resumption of bilateral matches.
Image Source: X
This is the third time that CA has refused to play with the Afghan team since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in September 2021. Women's participation was immediately banned after the arrival of the Taliban regime, then CA had vociferously condemned this.
Cricket Australia had earlier canceled the only Test match against Afghanistan, which was to be played in Hobart in November 2021. Not only this, in the beginning of 2023, Australia had also withdrawn its name from the three-match ODI series to be held in UAE in March that year.
Then Cricket Australia had kept the door open for future bilateral series on the provision of better conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan.
Australia currently remain scheduled to play three ODIs and a T20 against Ireland ahead of a white-ball series in the UK against England in September. But recent comments out of Cricket Ireland have cast doubts that the series will proceed due to financial and logistical constraints.
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