Cricket Australia (CA) says government advice is that conditions for women and girls “are getting worse”.
It is the third time Australia has declined to play Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
A one-off Test match in September 2021 and a three-match men’s one-day series in March 2023 were also cancelled.
What disgusts me is that we seem to be alone in this. Many other countries are still playing against them, and the ICC itself has done nothing. This despite the fact that their own rules are quite clear: full ICC members must have a women’s team. They should be suspended as members until that happens. They should not have been allowed into last year’s World Cup.
Shame on Ireland, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, and any other country, especially full ICC members, who has played cricket against Afghanistan. And shame especially on the ICC for failing to apply their rules.