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.
The issue with playing Afghanistan in cricket is pretty black and white. It could be a stance against the sexism from the country’s government in general, or against their atrocities even more broadly, the latter of which would make it equivalent to Israel. But in fact, it’s far simpler than that. We will not play their men’s team unless they also have a professional women’s cricket team. Strictly speaking, without a women’s team, they are not even eligible to be a full member of the International Cricket Council.