Cricket Australia has refrained from playing Afghanistan in a bilateral series due to the stance Taliban Government’s rights regarding women cricketers in the country and Australian Cricket CEO Nick Hockley reiterated it will be Australia’s stance going forward as well.
“We maintain a close relationship and regular dialogue with the Afghanistan Cricket Board and want to see cricket thrive worldwide for both men and women,” said Hockley as quoted by ESPNcricinfo
“We hope for a level of progress, and continue to discuss and maintain contact with the Afghanistan Cricket Board, aiming to resume bilateral cricket against Afghanistan at some point in the future,” he added.
Australia has denied playing against Afghanistan’s men’s national team in a bilateral series since the Taliban regime took over control of the nation in 2021, denying the women right to education as well as playing sports.
However, Australia continues to contest Afghanistan in ICC events, and in the recently concluded T20 World Cup, the latter thrashed the former by 21 runs in the Super 8 round and managed to qualify for the semifinals. “They (Afghanistan) had a fantastic tournament with phenomenal players, and they played with great passion and spirit,” Hockley said.
“Regarding our bilateral matches, we have consulted extensively with stakeholders, including the Australian government, and chose to postpone our last couple of series with Afghanistan Cricket Board on human-rights grounds,” The CEO would say.
Not in our control
Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan when asked about the issue in the past would respond by saying, “Something which isn’t under the control, we can’t do anything about it. We wish we could do something.
“If there was a solution for it, we’d have been happy. But I don’t know what’s the solution for it. I don’t know much about political things, and I don’t even like it. If we play in a World Cup, why don’t we play in a bilateral series?” Rashid stated.
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