As a result of further Taliban limitations on women’s and girls’ rights, Cricket Australia (CA) announced on Thursday that the Australian men’s squad has withdrawn from their upcoming one-day international (ODI) series against Afghanistan.
Last month, women were forbidden from enrolling in universities under the rule of Afghanistan’s Taliban government. Since March, girls are not allowed to attend high school. Additionally, parks and gyms have prohibited them from entry.
The CA cancelled the series following “extensive consultation” with stakeholders, including the Australian government, and the three one-day internationals between Australia and Afghanistan that were set to be played in the United Arab Emirates.
In a statement, CA stated that “this decision comes in response to the Taliban’s recent declaration of more limitations on women’s and girls’ access to parks and gyms, work prospects, and education.
In anticipation of better conditions for women and girls in the nation, CA is dedicated to promoting the game for both sexes everywhere, including in Afghanistan. To that end, CA will keep working with the Afghanistan Cricket Board.
“We appreciate the Australian government’s help in this case,”
The tournament was a part of the ICC Super League, in which the top eight teams automatically go to the 2023 World Cup. Australia has already earned a spot in the competition.
Australia and Afghanistan were supposed to play a Test match in November 2021, but the match was cancelled when the Taliban took control of the country in August of that year.
The only ICC full member country still without a women’s squad is Afghanistan. However, they have continued to participate in ICC competitions after the Taliban took control, and they played Australia at the Twenty20 World Cup last year.
Geoff Allardice, the chief executive of the International Cricket Council, stated that the ICC is concerned about Afghanistan’s lack of support for women’s cricket and that the issue will be revisited at the ICC’s next board meeting.
Since the shift in the regime, “our board has been monitoring progress,” Allardice stated. “The lack of advancement in Afghanistan is concerning, and our board will discuss it at its next meeting in March. As far as we can tell, nothing is happening right now.”
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