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The Australian men’s cricket team has pulled out of an upcoming series of matches against Afghanistan due to the Taliban’s curbs on women’s rights, particularly in the areas of education and employment. According to Cricket Australia (CA), these matches were supposed to take place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in March but were cancelled following discussions with several key stakeholders including the Australian government.
CA remains committed to promoting cricket for both sexes worldwide, including in Afghanistan, and plans to continue its engagement with the Afghanistan Cricket Board. This is in hopes that the conditions for women and girls in the country will improve in the future.
The actions of the Taliban, which included suspending university education for females in December and preventing girls from returning to secondary schools in March, contributed to CA’s decision. The group, which took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, also ordered all non-governmental organizations to stop their female employees from working, threatening them with the revocation of their licenses if they failed to comply.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board described CA’s decision as “pathetic”, accusing them of politicizing the sport. They also criticized CA for prioritizing political interests over fair play and sportsmanship, damaging the relationship between the two nations.
CA’s withdrawal was deemed unfair and unwelcome, and is expected to impede the progression of cricket in Afghanistan. The Afghanistan Cricket Board is considering possible actions, including writing to the International Cricket Council (ICC), and reconsidering the participation of Afghan players in Australia’s domestic Twenty20 competition, the Big Bash League (BBL).
Prominent Afghan player Rashid Khan also expressed his disappointment over CA’s decision to withdraw from the series, and stated that he is reassessing his future in the BBL.
This is not the first time CA has withdrawn from matches with Afghanistan. The organization backed out of a test match in Tasmania in November 2021 due to the Taliban’s ban on women in sports.
Anika Wells, Australia’s sports minister, backed the decision by CA. She pointed out the increase in the mistreatment of Afghan women and girls under the Taliban, despite the group’s claims of respecting women’s rights. Large international aid organizations and the United Nations have suspended their operations in Afghanistan since the ban on female NGO workers was implemented.
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