Cricket Australia (CA) has once again postponed the bilateral cricket series against Afghanistan, citing the deteriorating human rights situation for women and girls in the Asian country. The two teams were originally scheduled to compete in a three-match T20I series, but those fixtures have now been postponed. This marks the third instance in which Australia has opted not to play against Afghanistan since the present Afghan government assumed control in September 2021.
CA officially announced via a statement on Tuesday, stating: "Over the past 12 months CA has continued to consult with the Australian government on the situation in Afghanistan. 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 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 adds further.
Afghan Spinner Rashid Khan's Dissatisfaction With Cricket Australia's Decision
Earlier, Hobart was slated to host a one-off Test match in November 2021, which was subsequently cancelled. Following this, the two sides were set to contest a three-match ODI series in the UAE before the 2023 ODI World Cup, but even this series was postponed.
In 2023, Afghanistan's star spinner Rashid Khan criticised Cricket Australia's decision to withdraw from the ODI series, expressing his discontent. He even went as far as threatening to withdraw from the Big Bash League (BBL) in response to the decision.
“I am really disappointed to hear that Australia have pulled out of the series to play us in March. I take great pride in representing my country and we have made great progress on the world stage. This decision from CA sets us back in that journey. If playing vs Afghanistan is so uncomfortable for Australia, then I wouldn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable with my presence in the BBL. Therefore, I will be strongly considering my future in that competition," Rashid had said.