Cricket Australia “postpones” Afghanistan T20I series over human rights concerns

Cricket Australia (CA) has announced the postponement of its upcoming tour of a men’s bilateral series against Afghanistan, citing concerns over deteriorating human rights conditions in Afghanistan. The tour, which was part of the ICC’s Future Tours Program and included a three-match T20 series scheduled for August this year, has been postponed based on advice from the Australian government regarding worsening conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan.

This is the third time, CA has refused to play Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of the Asian country in September 2021. Earlier instances include a canceled one-off Test in November 2021 and the withdrawal from a three-match ODI series in UAE in March last year.

In a statement, Cricket Australia emphasized its commitment to supporting women’s cricket globally and indicated ongoing engagement with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Afghanistan Cricket Board to explore possibilities for resuming bilateral matches in the future.

Notably, Afghanistan is the only ICC-full member nation without a women’s cricket team. The last encounter between Australia and Afghanistan was in the World Cup 2023 group stage, where Glenn Maxwell’s heroic performance secured Australia’s victory and a spot in the tournament’s semi-finals.