Cricket Australia, citing human rights concerns, postponed its T20I and ODI series against Afghanistan but affirmed its commitment to maintaining strong relations, as stated by CEO Nick Hockley.
Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley has committed to resuming bilateral cricket with Afghanistan, despite the postponement of a recent series due to human rights concerns. Earlier this year, a men’s T20I series scheduled for August was postponed, following the previous postponement of an ODI series. The decision was made due to the deterioration of human rights for women and girls in Afghanistan.
Hockley congratulated the Afghanistan men’s team for their victory over Australia in the T20 World Cup and expressed a desire to continue fostering a strong relationship with the Afghanistan Cricket Board.
“We hope for progress and will continue to discuss and maintain contact with the Afghanistan Cricket Board. They had a fantastic tournament with phenomenal players and played with great passion. Regarding our bilateral matches, we have consulted extensively with stakeholders, including the Australian government, and chose to postpone our last couple of series with Afghanistan on human rights grounds,” Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley replied to an IANS query.
“We maintain a close relationship and regular dialogue with the Afghanistan Cricket Board and want to see cricket thrive worldwide for both men and women. We hope for progress and continue to discuss and maintain contact with the Afghanistan Cricket Board, aiming to resume bilateral cricket against Afghanistan in the future,” he added.
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Hockley also highlighted the exile of the Afghanistan women’s team in Australia and their request to the ICC to play. Discussions are expected in upcoming ICC meetings, with several Afghan women already integrated into local cricket clubs in Australia.
“We understand that the Afghanistan women based in Australia have written to the ICC. We have meetings coming up in Colombo in July, and I’m sure it will be a topic of conversation. The Afghan women in Australia are engaged with the cricketing community, but it’s not something we were directly involved in,” he said.
In the T20 World Cup 2024, Afghanistan reached the semi-finals for the first time under the leadership of Rashid Khan. They were placed in the Super Eight stage alongside India and Australia, and after defeating Bangladesh and Australia, they advanced to the semi-finals, where they faced South Africa.
Last Updated on July 3, 2024
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