Cricket Australia (CA) has defended its decision to play Afghanistan in ICC World Cups while simultaneously canceling all bilateral series, sparking a debate over consistency in its stance against the Taliban’s suppression of women’s sports, Al Jazeera reports.
CA chairman Mike Baird on Thursday staunchly defended the organization’s position, rejecting criticism from former ICC chairman Greg Barclay who accused Australia of hypocrisy. Barclay argued that if Australia truly opposed the Taliban’s policies, it should have boycotted World Cup matches against Afghanistan as well.
Australia has consistently refused to play bilateral series with Afghanistan since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, citing concerns over the deteriorating human rights situation for women and girls, particularly the ban on women’s participation in sports. This led to the postponement of a men’s T20 series in March. The Afghanistan Cricket Board responded by urging CA to seek alternative solutions rather than bowing to external pressures. This was the third time since 2021 that Australia had cancelled a bilateral series with Afghanistan. Previous cancellations included a Test match and an ODI series, although CA had indicated a willingness to reconsider future bilateral series if conditions for women improved.
However, Australia has continued to compete against Afghanistan in major international tournaments, most recently at the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India and the T20 World Cup in the US and Caribbean. The two teams’ last encounter, a T20 World Cup Super Eight clash on June 22, saw a memorable victory for Afghanistan over the then-defending champions. A closer match at the 50-over World Cup saw Australia prevail thanks to a stunning double century by Glenn Maxwell. Australia went on to win the World Cup.
