Australia postponed T20 series with Afghanistan over women rights

Cricket Australia (CA) postponed the three-match men’s T20 International series against Afghanistan. The series was scheduled to be held in August 2024.

Australia postponed the T20 series against Afghanistan due to the worsening state of human rights for women and children in the Asian country. After consulting with the Australian Government, CA announced the postponed decision.

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CA stated they would continue to engage with the Afghanistan Cricket Board to improve circumstances for women and girls in the nation.

Over the last year, CA has continued to speak with the Australian government about the situation in Afghanistan. The government advises that conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan are deteriorating.

As a result, they have maintained their earlier position and will postpone the bilateral series against Afghanistan. This decision follows a previous postponement of an ODI series against Afghanistan originally scheduled for March 2023.

CA also stated they remain committed to promoting women’s and girls’ participation in cricket globally. They are working hard with the International Cricket Council and the Afghanistan Cricket Board to figure out what they can do to help get international matches back on track soon.

Furthermore, CA expressed gratitude to the Australian Government for its support. CA had postponed the ODI series against Afghanistan in the UAE last year for the same reason.

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It should be noted that, following the Taliban takeover in 2021, Afghanistan’s women’s team fell apart and several members fled the country.

Afghanistan had to host Australia in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, their home stadium, for a three-match series in August.

The Taliban have criticized the move as hypocritical. They cited the fact Australian cricket team played Afghanistan in last year’s 50-over ICC Cricket World Cup in India. Moreover, Afghan players have competed in the Big Bash League, an Australian franchise-based T20 tournament.