Australia postpones series as ‘women’s situation gets worse’ in Afghanistan

Cricket Australia on Tuesday postponed its three-match T20 international home series against Afghanistan’s men’s team in August this year, citing the “deteriorating” situation of women and girls in the country. After the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, they imposed restrictions on girls attending high school, banned women from attending universities and prevented female Afghan aid workers from working.

CA’s decision to postpone the upcoming series is a continuation of its tough stance against the South Asian country. CA canceled their one-off Test against Afghanistan in Hobart in November 2021, following which they also postponed their three-match ODI series in the UAE.

“Over the past twelve months, CA has been consulting with the Australian government on the situation in Afghanistan. The government’s advice is that the situation for Afghan women and girls is getting worse,” CA wrote in a statement.

“We therefore maintain our previous position and will postpone the series of bilateral activities targeting Afghanistan,” the statement added.

Afghanistan is the only official member not to participate in the Women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup in South Africa as women in the country are banned from participating in competitive cricket.

This is the third time CA has refused to compete in Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of the conflict-torn country in September 2021 and restricted women’s participation in sports.

The statement added: “…(we) will continue to actively engage with the International Cricket Council and work closely with the Afghanistan Cricket Board to determine what actions can be taken in the future to support the resumption of bilateral competitions.”

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