Australia pulls out: Australia said on Thursday that it would not participate in a scheduled one-day series against Afghanistan in the United Arab Emirates due to Taliban efforts to severely curtail women’s rights.
After touring India, the men’s squad scheduled to play three games against their Afghan counterparts as part of the ICC Super League in March.
However, Cricket Australia said that it will not go further after discussions with interested parties, including the Australian government.
It issued a statement saying, Australia pulls out the series “This decision comes in response to the Taliban’s recent declaration of more limitations on women’s and girls’ access to parks and gyms, as well as their prospects for employment and education.
CA is devoted to expanding the game for both men and women worldwide, especially in Afghanistan.
It continued, thanking Canberra for its support, “(We) will continue to interact with the Afghanistan Cricket Board in expectation of improving conditions for women and girls in the nation.”
For the series, Australia will give up 30 competition points that count toward World Cup qualification. However, they have already qualified automatically for the 50-over competition in India in October.
Midway through 2021, the Taliban took back power in the Asian country, and they quickly imposed limitations on female athletes.
The extreme Amid widespread anger, Islamists also forbade teenage females from attending secondary schools and last month forbade women from enrolling in universities.
Recently, Taliban informed women that they can no longer work in the assistance industry in Afghanistan.
The Taliban forces women out of government positions, prohibits them from traveling alone, and requires them to dress modestly outside the home, preferably with a burqa.