Cricket Australia postpones another bilateral series against Afghanistan citing concerns over women's rights in country

Melbourne: Cricket Australia has postponed a men’s T20I series against Afghanistan after consulting the Australian government.

This decision follows a previous postponement of an ODI series against Afghanistan that was originally scheduled for March 2023.

At the time, CA hoped they could “continue to engage with the?Afghanistan?Cricket Board in anticipation of improved conditions for women and girls in the country."

However, the Australian government advised CA about the situation in Afghanistan in the last 12 months, stating that the “conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan are getting worse”, leading to CA’s decision to postpone another series against Afghanistan.

A CA statement said: “Over the past twelve months, CA has continued to consult with the Australian Government on the situation in Afghanistan.

“The government’s advice is that conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan are getting worse. For this reason, we have maintained our previous position and will postpone the bilateral series against Afghanistan.

“CA continues its strong commitment to supporting participation by women and girls in cricket around the world and will continue to actively engage the International Cricket Council and work closely with the Afghanistan Cricket Board to determine what actions could be taken to support the resumption of bilateral matches in the future.”

Australia last clashed against Afghanistan at the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India, where Glenn Maxwell grabbed the headlines with a defiant double-century that guided them to an unforgettable win.

Both teams have not engaged in international cricket outside of ICC events since August 2012.