The Australian cricket board on Wednesday came out with a statement, in which they said that they shall not host Afghanistan men’s team if the Taliban is to ban women from participating in the sport. Their players appear to be on the same wavelength as the board and have voiced a very similar opinion regarding playing Afghanistan on the international stage.
It has been over 45 days since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. Being an extremist group, they have proffered to allow cricket to prosper, however, they shall not allow the women of their country to participate in any such activities. Australia being an ambassador for women’s cricket for so long did not agree with the Taliban’s views. Hence they have proclaimed to cancel the Hobart test against Afghanistan’s men’s team.
Aaron Finch, Australia’s limited-overs captain, came by their board’s view. “It’s challenging time no doubt, but we’re supportive of Cricket Australia’s position,” he told the reporters of Reuters in a media call.
He refused to address the question in which he was asked if his team will be comfortable playing against Afghanistan in the upcoming World cup. Instead, the 34-year-old recognized the Afghanistan team as an integral part of the tournament and hoped for ICC to resolve the issue.
Earlier Australia’s Tim Paine had also questioned ICC’s decision of allowing Afghanistan’s team to participate in the world cup itself. According to him, being a global organization, they should have taken some strict actions to mend the situation.
ICC on the other hand has stated that they will be discussing the matter in their next board meeting which will take place during the World Cup.
Currently, the Afghanistan Men’s Squad is preparing for their T20 World Cup campaign in UAE and Oman which will be starting from 17th October 2021.
