Australia pulls out of ODI series against Afghanistan citing Taliban sanctions
Australia’s upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan will not take place after they announced they would not travel to the country following consultation with the Australian Government. Cricket Australia took the decision due to Taliban restrictions on the education and employment of women and girls as well. However, Cricket Australia (CA) on Thursday announced that they will not play a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in late March following ‘extensive consultation with relevant stakeholders including the Australian Government’.
In a statement, CA said further Taliban restrictions on the education of women and girls led them to decide on the series as well. However, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in September 2021 and immediately banned female participation in sports as well.
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A CA statement said, “…the decision follows the recent announcement by the Taliban of further restrictions on education and employment opportunities for women and girls and their ability to access parks and gyms.” “CA is committed to supporting the growing sport for women and men around the world, including in Afghanistan, and will continue to engage with the Afghanistan Cricket Board in anticipation of better conditions for women and girls in the country.”
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Notably, Australia and Afghanistan have so far met four times in international cricket, three of which have come in World Cups. Their only bilateral match was in 2012, and they have yet to face each other in a red-ball match. However, Afghanistan is still the only ICC Full Member country without a women’s cricket team. Also, they will be the only Full Member country without a team in the inaugural Women’s U19 T20 World Cup, which is also set to begin on Saturday.
