Cricket Australia has yet again postponed the bilateral T20 series against Afghanistan, citing human rights violations of women under the Taliban regime. With both Australia and Afghanistan scheduled to play a three-game T20I series against Afghanistan under the ICC Future Tours program in August in the UAE, the apex body of cricket in Australia has deferred it.
This marks the 3rd occasion that Cricket Australia has refused to play a series against Afghanistan since Taliban assumed control of the landlocked nation in September 2021. The Taliban government instantly imposed restrictions on the female participation in the sport, which didn't sit well with Australia.
Cricket Australia had previously cancelled the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Hobart in November 2021, followed by calling off a three-game ODI rubber in early 2023, which was supposed to take place in March.
"CA continues its strong commitment to supporting participation by women and girls in cricket" - Cricket Australia's statement
A statement from Cricket Australia stated that they stand by their stance of supporting women's participation in cricket and shall stay in touch with the Afghanistan Cricket Board to determine the next course of action.
"For this reason, we have maintained our previous position and will postpone the bilateral series against Afghanistan. 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."
