Australia’s top cricket official has defended the country’s decision to play against Afghanistan in the ICC World Cup, despite cancelling all bilateral series with the South Asian nation in response to the Taliban’s crackdown on women’s sports.
According to the sources of Leaders, Cricket Australia (CA) chairman Mike Baird expressed pride in his country’s stance on Thursday, following criticism from the outgoing ICC chairman, Greg Barclay, who accused Australia of hypocrisy. “We’ve taken a position, and we’re proudly standing up where we think we should,” Baird said. “There’s all types of lines you can draw. We’ve drawn a line.”
Barclay, commenting on Australia’s approach, argued that if the country truly wanted to take a stand against the Taliban’s treatment of women, it should have refused to play Afghanistan in the World Cup. “If you want to make a political statement, don’t play them in a World Cup,” Barclay told the Daily Telegraph in the UK. “Sure, it might cost you a semifinal place, but principles are principles.”
As per the Leaders sources, Australia has consistently refused to play bilateral series against Afghanistan due to concerns over the Taliban’s policies regarding women’s participation in sport. However, they have continued to face Afghanistan in major tournaments such as the ICC One-Day World Cup in India (November 2023) and the ICC T20 World Cup (June 2024) in the US and the Caribbean.
In March, Cricket Australia indefinitely postponed a planned men’s T20 series with Afghanistan, citing the worsening human rights situation for women and girls under Taliban rule. The Afghanistan Cricket Board responded by urging CA to “respect and understand its position” and seek “alternative solutions rather than succumbing to external pressures and political influences.”
This was the third time since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 that Australia had refused to play Afghanistan in a bilateral series. Previously, Australia had cancelled a one-off Test match and an ODI series for the same reason, though they left the door open for future series if conditions for women and girls improved.
Before the Taliban’s return, Afghanistan’s cricket board had made some progress in promoting women’s cricket, even contracting a small number of semi-professional female players in 2020. Many of these players fled to Australia after the Taliban takeover in 2021.
The teams’ most recent meeting occurred on June 22 at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, where Afghanistan achieved a historic victory, defeating the defending champions by 21 runs in a Super Eight clash.
Australia’s top cricket official has defended the country’s decision to play against Afghanistan in the ICC World Cup, despite cancelling all bilateral series with the South Asian nation in response to the Taliban’s crackdown on women’s sports.
According to the sources of Leaders, Cricket Australia (CA) chairman Mike Baird expressed pride in his country’s stance on Thursday, following criticism from the outgoing ICC chairman, Greg Barclay, who accused Australia of hypocrisy. “We’ve taken a position, and we’re proudly standing up where we think we should,” Baird said. “There’s all types of lines you can draw. We’ve drawn a line.”
Barclay, commenting on Australia’s approach, argued that if the country truly wanted to take a stand against the Taliban’s treatment of women, it should have refused to play Afghanistan in the World Cup. “If you want to make a political statement, don’t play them in a World Cup,” Barclay told the Daily Telegraph in the UK. “Sure, it might cost you a semifinal place, but principles are principles.”
As per the Leaders sources, Australia has consistently refused to play bilateral series against Afghanistan due to concerns over the Taliban’s policies regarding women’s participation in sport. However, they have continued to face Afghanistan in major tournaments such as the ICC One-Day World Cup in India (November 2023) and the ICC T20 World Cup (June 2024) in the US and the Caribbean.
In March, Cricket Australia indefinitely postponed a planned men’s T20 series with Afghanistan, citing the worsening human rights situation for women and girls under Taliban rule. The Afghanistan Cricket Board responded by urging CA to “respect and understand its position” and seek “alternative solutions rather than succumbing to external pressures and political influences.”
This was the third time since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 that Australia had refused to play Afghanistan in a bilateral series. Previously, Australia had cancelled a one-off Test match and an ODI series for the same reason, though they left the door open for future series if conditions for women and girls improved.
Before the Taliban’s return, Afghanistan’s cricket board had made some progress in promoting women’s cricket, even contracting a small number of semi-professional female players in 2020. Many of these players fled to Australia after the Taliban takeover in 2021.
The teams’ most recent meeting occurred on June 22 at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, where Afghanistan achieved a historic victory, defeating the defending champions by 21 runs in a Super Eight clash.
