Cricket Australia Postpones Afghanistan T20I Over Women's Rights Issues
Due to the ongoing degradation in human rights for women and girls under the Taliban, Australia has decided to postpone their men's T20I series against Afghanistan in August.
The teams were set to face off in a three-game series in August, with the United Arab Emirates serving as the venue.
Australia has already withdrawn from a one-off Test match in September 2021 and a three-match men's ODI series in March 2023, making it the third time since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021 that they had withdrawn from a bilateral series against Afghanistan.
Throughout this time, Afghanistan and Australia have met in World Cup matches on multiple occasions. In 2022, Australia won by four runs in Adelaide at the Men's T20 World Cup, and in 2023, Australia won by three wickets in a match that Pat Cummins' team won.
Cricket Australia's stance regarding major tournaments has attracted criticism, with Afghanistan quick Naveen-ul-Haq among the dissenting voices, but in a previous statement, the board said, "there is a distinction between playing bilateral series against Afghanistan which falls under CA control as compared to playing in a World Cup tournament which is an ICC event and subject to their regulations".
Addressing the current postponement, Cricket Australia said: "Following a consultation with the Australian Government, CA previously postponed the ODI series against Afghanistan scheduled for March 2023 after a marked deterioration in human rights for women and girls in Afghanistan, stating we would: "Continue to engage with the Afghanistan Cricket Board in anticipation of improved conditions for women and girls in the country".
"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 ACB to determine what actions could be taken to support the resumption of bilateral matches in the future."