New Zealand Cricket takes a massive step after Australia boycotts Afghanistan for bilaterals

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has opted for a different approach than their Australian counterparts regarding a series against Afghanistan, as the New Zealand National Cricket Team wants to taste its skills against one of the toughest Asian teams.

Earlier this year, in March, Cricket Australia (CA) decided to cancel a men's T20I series against Afghanistan in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in August due to concerns over the deteriorating human rights for women and girls in the Taliban-ruled country.

However, going against Cricket Australia (CA), New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has decided to proceed with their fixtures against Afghanistan, which is now one of the strongest cricket teams in the world, especially in the shorter format of the game.

New Zealand ready to play with Afghanistan despite human rights issues

Acknowledging the deteriorating human rights situation for women and girls in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) will honor their commitments as they plan to play a one-off away test against Afghanistan in September. The Black Caps are also ready to play Afghanistan in their scheduled ICC T20 World Cup 2024 match in Guyana on June 8.

Richard Boock, the Public Affairs Manager for New Zealand Cricket (NZC), revealed that the decision was made after discussions at the board level and with the New Zealand Cricket Players Association (NZCPA), taking into account various perspectives and considerations before making it public.

“The consensus view was that a boycott in isolation would change nothing in Afghanistan and that it would be more constructive to keep dialogue and participation channels open while continuing to advocate strongly for change,” Richard Boock said in an official statement.

Boock added, “NZC strongly believes that cricket is a game for everyone and would like to see far greater support for the women's game in Afghanistan in the short to medium term.”

The venue for the New Zealand-Afghanistan one-off Test match scheduled for September has not yet been revealed, but there is speculation that it might take place in the UAE. The Black Caps are also set to face Afghanistan in a white-ball series in either India or the UAE in 2026.

Australia's cricketing ties with Afghanistan will not resume soon

Notably, Australia has backed out of scheduled matches with Afghanistan on three different occasions in recent years. In 2021, they canceled a one-off test match that was set to take place in Hobart.

Additionally, Australia also withdrew from a planned three-match ODI series that was supposed to be held in the UAE last year, and now they called off a T20I series against them.

According to a statement from Cricket Australia (CA), the Australian government advised them that the conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan are deteriorating. So, their stance on the cricketing ties with Afghanistan will remain unchanged until there is no change in the Asian country.

Interestingly, there is no match scheduled between Afghanistan and Australia in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the group stages. The upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 is scheduled to take place in the USA and West Indies on June 1.