The three-match men's T20 International series against Afghanistan was postponed by Cricket Australia (CA) on Tuesday over deteriorating human rights situation for women and girls in the Asian country.
Following consultation with the Australian Government, CA stated that they would “continue to engage with the Afghanistan Cricket Board in anticipation of improved conditions for women and girls in the country”.
“Over the past twelve months CA has continued to consult with the Australian Government on the situation in Afghanistan. The government’s advice is that conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan are getting worse. For this reason, we have maintained our previous position and will postpone the bilateral series against Afghanistan,” CA added.
“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 in the future.
“We again thank the Australian Government for its support.”
The T20I series was set to take place in August this year.
CA had also postponed the ODI series against Afghanistan in the UAE last year due to the same reason.
It must be noted that, after the Taliban takeover in 2021, Afghanistan's women team were disbanded and several members fled the country.
