Australia pulls out of Afghanistan cricket series over Taliban’s restrictions on women

Sydney
CNN
—

The Australian men’s cricket team has withdrawn from an upcoming match series against Afghanistan to protest the ruling Taliban’s restrictions on the education and employment of women and girls, it said. Thursday Cricket Australia (CA) in a statement.

The teams were scheduled to play three One Day International (ODI) matches in the UAE in March, but CA decided to cancel the series after “extensive consultations” with “several stakeholders, including the Australian government”, the statement said .

“CA is committed to supporting (and) 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 improving conditions for women and girls in the country,” he adds. .

In December, the Taliban announced the suspension of university studies for all female students. The move follows a decision in March banning girls from returning to secondary schools, following months of closures in force since the hardline Islamist group took control of Afghanistan in August 2021.

Later that month, the Taliban ordered all local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to prevent their female employees from coming to work, warning that failure to comply would result in the revocation of their licenses.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Thursday responded to the CA’s decision, calling it “pathetic” and an “attempt to enter the political realm and politicize the sport”.

“By prioritizing political interests over the principles of fair play and sportsmanship, Cricket Australia undermines the integrity of the game and undermines relations between the two nations,” the statement added.

“The decision to withdraw from the upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan is unfair and unexpected and will have a negative impact on the development and growth of cricket in Afghanistan, as well as affect the love and passion of the Afghan nation for the game.”

The ACB said it was considering action on the matter, including writing to the International Cricket Council (ICC) and “rethinking the participation of Afghan players” in Australia’s domestic Twenty20 competition, the Big Bash League (BBL).

The ACB statement follows comments from prominent Afghan player Rashid Khan.

Khan, who played for the Adelaide Strikers in this year’s BBL, accompanied a statement on Twitter with the words: “Keep politics out of it.”

“I am really disappointed to hear that Australia have pulled out of the series to play us in March,” Khan wrote.

“I am very proud to represent my country and we have made great progress on the world stage. This decision by CA takes us back on that journey.

“If playing Afghanistan is so uncomfortable for Australia, then I wouldn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable with my presence in the BBL. I will therefore seriously think about my future in this competition.

CA had previously pulled out of a planned Test match against Afghanistan which was due to be staged in Tasmania in November 2021 due to the Taliban’s ban on women’s participation in sports.

“Driving the growth of women’s cricket globally is extremely important to Cricket Australia. Our vision of cricket is that it is a sport for all and we unequivocally support this game for women at all levels,” CA said at the time.

Australian Sports Minister Anika Wells said on Thursday that Canberra supported Cricket Australia’s decision.

“The Australian Government welcomes Cricket Australia’s decision to withdraw from the upcoming men’s One Day International series against Afghanistan, following increased repression of the rights of women and girls by the Taliban,” she tweeted.

Although the Taliban has repeatedly claimed it will protect the rights of girls and women, the group has done the opposite, stripping women of the hard-won freedoms they have fought tirelessly for over the past two decades.

The United Nations and at least half a dozen major foreign aid groups announced they were temporarily suspending operations in Afghanistan following a ban on women’s NGO staff.