Australia withdraw from Afghanistan T20 series

Australia have withdrawn from their men's T20 series against Afghanistan in August because of continued restrictions on women and girls in the country under the ruling Taliban.

The three-match series was scheduled to take place in the United Arab Emirates.

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.

Australia will continue to play Afghanistan in tournaments, having beaten them by three wickets at the T20 Cricket World Cup last November.

A CA statement said: "Following consultation with the Australian Government, CA previously postponed the ODI series against Afghanistan scheduled for March 2023 after a marked deterioration in human rights for women and girls in Afghanistan.

"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."

The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021 and have placed restrictions on the rights of women to work and study.

Girls in Afghanistan are only allowed to attend primary school. Teenage girls and women have also been barred from entering school and university classrooms.

They are not allowed in parks, gyms and pools. Beauty salons have been shut, while women must dress in a way that only reveals their eyes. They must be accompanied by a male relative if they are travelling more than 72km (45 miles).

Source: BBC