Australia Maintains Stance on Afghanistan Cricket Over Women's Rights

Cricket Australia (CA) remains steadfast in its decision to withhold bilateral cricket matches with Afghanistan due to the Taliban government's stance on women's rights. CA CEO Nick Hockley emphasized that ongoing discussions with the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) have not yielded sufficient progress.

Despite withdrawing from three bilateral series with Afghanistan, Australia has continued to face the team at ICC events. Following Afghanistan's historic victory over Australia in the T20 World Cup, Usman Khawaja and Rashid Khan expressed contrasting views on CA's stance.

Hockley acknowledged Afghanistan's impressive performance in the tournament but reiterated CA's commitment to human rights. He stated that the decision to postpone bilateral matches was made after extensive consultations with stakeholders, including the Australian government.

CA maintains regular dialogue with the ACB and hopes to resume bilateral cricket in the future. However, the organization emphasizes the need for progress on women's rights.

Meanwhile, 17 Afghanistan women players have appealed to the ICC for assistance in establishing a refugee team based in Australia. Hockley acknowledged the request and indicated that it would be discussed at upcoming ICC meetings.

Hockley also confirmed that Australia is eager to host Bangladesh's men's team in the next FTP cycle. Bangladesh last played Tests in Australia in 2003 and a bilateral ODI series in 2008.

Tags: #CricketAustralia, #AfghanistanCricket, #HumanRights, #WomenInSports, #BilateralCricket