Cricket Australia Cancels Another Series Against Afghanistan Over Treatment of Women

Afghanistan's Shapoor Zadran, center, and his teammates celebrate taking the wicket of Bangladeshs Shamsur Rahman during the Asia Cup one-day international cricket tournament in Fatullah, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Saturday, March 1, 2014. AP Photo/A.M. Ahad

Concerns over the human rights of women and girls in Afghanistan have again caused the Australian cricket team to withdraw from a scheduled bilateral T20 series against the hosts in August.

Cricket Australia’s (CA) objections to the actions of the Taliban-controlled country were enough to officially postpone the series, which was to be played in neutral territory in the United Arab Emirates.

CA said it had taken recent advice from the Australian government, “that conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan are getting worse.” They previously cancelled a test between the nations slated for Hobart in late 2021, and another UAE-based T20 series in 2023.

The most recent withdrawal has again raised the ire of the Afghan board, which claimed the ongoing ban was damaging political relations and wrongly putting bureaucracy ahead of sport.

“The ACB urges the Australian government not to impose its policies on cricket boards, and instead focus on supporting the development of cricket across regions. [The] ACB’s top management had previously engaged in negotiations with Cricket Australia, and proposed exploring alternative solutions instead of publicly announcing withdrawals.”

Adam Zampa of Australia celebrates the wicket of Azmatullah Omarzai of Afghanistan during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup India 2023 between Australia and Afghanistan Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

After the 2023 cancellation, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) issued a statement saying it was “extremely disappointed and saddened by the pathetic statement,” from Cricket Australia, before threatening to complain to the International Cricket Council.

“Cricket has played a significant role in promoting unity and national pride in Afghanistan. After years of war and conflict, cricket has helped to bring people together and provide a sense of normalcy to the country. It has also been an important source of hope and inspiration for all Afghans, particularly young people,” the board said.

Teams Still Play Each Other in Other Tournaments

Hosted by India, and run by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the game’s marquee event, the 50-over World Cup, was held in November 2023. Australia won a crucial game against Afghanistan which propelled them into the semi-finals to eventually winning the tournament against the hosts.

The Afghanistan Board has accused Australia of hypocrisy for being willing to play Afghanistan in multi-nation tournaments when a major prize is on the line, but won’t commit to a one-on-one series citing ethical concerns.

Games between the two nations have been ratified by the ICC, which set down a future tours program that takes into consideration security arrangements, but not political differences. To date, no Australian team has played in Afghanistan as the region is considered hostile by the ICC.

The ACB argued that by not playing, Australia was breaching agreements to which they had committed.

Speaking of the latest withdrawal, the ACB said the series “was approved by the ICC in the presence of the CA delegation, who had agreed to the fixtures at the time.”

In a statement issued on Tuesday, CA reiterated its stance.

“We have maintained our previous position and will postpone the bilateral series against Afghanistan,” it said.

“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 Afghanistan Cricket Board to determine what actions could be taken to support the resumption of bilateral matches.”