Australia would face their Afghan counterparts in three games in March.©AFP
The Afghan cricket board said on Thursday its Australian counterpart’s decision to pull out of an upcoming series over Taliban crackdowns on women’s rights was unfair and pathetic. “The Afghanistan Cricket Board is extremely disappointed and saddened by Cricket Australia’s pathetic statement to withdraw from Afghanistan’s three-match home game in March,” the board said in a statement.
Australia pulled out of an upcoming one-day series against Afghanistan in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, citing Taliban moves to further curtail women’s rights. The men’s team would face their Afghan counterparts in three games in March after touring India. However, Cricket Australia said that, following talks with interested parties, including the Australian government, the series would no longer take place. “This decision follows the Taliban’s recent announcement of further restrictions on the education and employment of women and girls and their access to parks and gyms,” it said in a statement.
“CA is committed to growing the game for women and men around the world, including in Afghanistan.
“(We) will continue to work with the Afghanistan Cricket Board in anticipation of better conditions for women and girls in the country,” it said.
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