Australia decline to play Afghanistan citing human rights violations

In a setback for Afghanistan cricket team and fans, Cricket Australia Tuesday announced postponing the three-match T20 series set to be held in August this year over worsening human rights conditions for women and girls in the country.

The board, in a statement said it had been holding consultations with the Australian government, which has advised that conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan have been deteriorating.

"For this reason, we have maintained our previous position and will postpone the bilateral series against Afghanistan," the statement added.

This is the third time that the Australian board has declined to play against Afghanistan citing human rights concerns as previously the Kangaroos withdrew from a three-match One-Day Internationals (ODI) series in January 2023 which was set to be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Cancellation of the series had then irked Afghan players and fans alike who expressed their dismay at the Australian board's decision.

Before that, a one-off Test match was also cancelled before the two sides which was to be played in Hobart, Australia in 2021.

Reiterating its support for the inclusion of women and girls in cricket around the world, Cricket Australia has stressed that it would "continue to actively engage the International Cricket Council (ICC) and work closely with the Afghanistan Cricket Board to determine what actions could be taken to support the resumption of bilateral matches in the future".

It is pertinent to know that despite refusing to play bilateral matches, Australia have continued to play Afghanistan in the ICC events with their thrilling World Cup 2023 being the recent most memorable clash.