Australia Pull Out From ODI Series Against Afghanistan

Published - 12 Jan 2023, 12:58 PM

Afghanistan vs Australia | Photo Credit: Getty
Afghanistan vs Australia Photo Credit: Getty

Australia’s ODI series versus Afghanistan in the United Arab Emirates in March has been cancelled as a result of Cricket Australia’s decision that the match could not go on as scheduled.

Cricket Australia (CA) stated on Thursday that it will pull out of the three-match series after consulting with various stakeholders, including the Australian Government.

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Australia vs Afghanistan 2022
Australia vs Afghanistan 2022. Pic Credits: Twitter.

Cricket Australia To Continue Engaging With The Afghanistan Cricket Board

In a statement, CA stated that the choice was made in response to the Taliban’s recent declaration of more limitations on the work and education of women and girls. In September 2021, the Taliban took over the Asian nation, and they immediately imposed limits on female athletes, which CA denounced.

“CA is committed to supporting growing the game for women and men around the world, including in Afghanistan, and will continue to engage with the Afghanistan Cricket Board in anticipation of improved conditions for women and girls in the country,” the CA statement read.

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Afghanistan vs Australia | Photo Credit: AP
Afghanistan vs Australia | Photo Credit: AP

“We thank the Australian Government for its support on this matter.”

Afghanistan will be the only permanent member without a squad in the maiden Women’s U19 T20 World Cup, which gets underway on Saturday. Afghanistan is still the only ICC full member without a women’s squad.

ICC Monitoring Progress In Afghanistan

Recent events in Afghanistan, according to ICC CEO Geoff Allardice, are “concerning,” and he promised the matter would be discussed at the organization’s next meeting.

“Our board has been monitoring progress since the change of regime,” Mr Allardice said.

“It is a concern that progress is not being made in Afghanistan and it’s something our board will consider at its next meeting in March. As far as we are aware, there isn’t activity at the moment.”

Australia will abandon the series, and Afghanistan will receive the 30 competition points, as ICC ODI Super League points were on the line in the UAE. However, the Australians won’t be too concerned because they have already qualified automatically for the ODI World Cup in India in October as one of the top eight-ranked countries in the Super League.

Afghanistan
Image Credits: Twitter

Australia’s final ODI Super League series was supposed to be against Afghanistan, however, they won’t be their final ODIs before the World Cup.

They will play three ODIs (from March 17-22) in India following the four-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy, five in South Africa in August and September, and three more in India immediately preceding the World Cup in October, but none of these will impact their World Cup qualification.

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