Australia-Afghanistan ODI series called off by CA following Taliban’s stance on women

Soon after Australia’s forthcoming tour of India, Pat Cummins & Co. were scheduled to play Afghanistan in an ODI series in the UAE, in March. However, Cricket Australia have officially called off the tour following Taliban’s stance on women.  

On Thursday (January 12), Cricket Australia shared a post on Twitter and wrote, “CA is committed to supporting growing the game for women and men around the world, including in Afghanistan, and will continue to engage with the Afghanistan Cricket Board in anticipation of improved conditions for women and girls in the country,”. The CA added, “We thank the Australian Government for its support on this matter.”

It is to be noted that the Taliban seized control of the troubled Asian nation in September 2021 and immediately placed restrictions on female participation in sport, which was strongly condemned by CA; forcing the board to not go ahead with the tour eventually.

While the Rashid Khan-starrer Afghanistan has made giant strides as a national side over the years, it remains the only ICC full-member nation without a women’s team. It will also be the sole full member without a side at the inaugural Women’s U19 T20 World Cup, which gets underway in South Africa on Saturday (January 14).

Recently, ICC CEO Geoff Allardice also reacted to Afghanistan women’s lack of participation due to the Taliban stance. He pointed out that their absence is “concerning”, and confirmed the issue would be up for discussion at its next meeting.

“Our board has been monitoring progress since the change of regime,” Mr Allardice said in a statement. “It is a concern that progress is not being made in Afghanistan and it’s something our board will consider at its next meeting in March. As far as we are aware, there isn’t activity at the moment,” he added.