Australia slammed for Afghanistan cricket snub over ‘rights for women’
Al Jazeera
Cricket Australia says it has postponed the men’s bilateral T20 series as ‘conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan are getting worse’.
Cricket Australia (CA) has been slammed after it postponed a bilateral men’s T20 cricket series against Afghanistan citing “deteriorating human rights for women and girls in the country under Taliban rule”.
Australia has previously cancelled a one-off Test match and a one-day international (ODI) series against Afghanistan for the same reason, but had then said it kept “the door ajar for future bilateral series on the proviso of improved conditions for women and girls in the country”.
CA said on Tuesday that it made its latest decision to call off the scheduled series for August upon receiving advice from the Australian government that “conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan are getting worse”.
“For this reason, we have maintained our previous position,” cricket’s governing body in the country said in its statement.
Afghanistan were expected to host Australia in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, their de facto home ground, for the three-match series in August.
