Sydney
AE Daily News
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Australia’s males’s cricket workforce has withdrawn from a collection of upcoming matches in opposition to Afghanistan in protest over the ruling Taliban’s restrictions on girls and ladies’ schooling and employment, Cricket Australia (CA) stated in a press release Thursday.
The groups have been scheduled to play three One Day International (ODI) video games within the United Arab Emirates in March, however CA determined to cancel the collection after “extensive consultation” with “several stakeholders including the Australian government,” the assertion stated.
“CA is committed to supporting [and] growing the game for women and men around the world, including in Afghanistan, and will continue to engage with the Afghanistan Cricket Board in anticipation of improved conditions for women and girls in the country,” it added.
In December, the Taliban introduced the suspension of college schooling for all feminine college students. The transfer adopted a choice in March to bar ladies from returning to secondary faculties, coming after months-long closures that had been in place because the hardline Islamist group took over Afghanistan in August 2021.
Later that month, the Taliban ordered all native and worldwide non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to cease their feminine workers from coming to work, warning that non-compliance would outcome within the revocation of their licenses.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) responded to CA’s resolution on Thursday, describing it as “pathetic” and “an attempt to enter the realm of politics and politicize the sport.”
“By prioritizing political interests over the principles of fair play and sportsmanship, Cricket Australia is undermining the integrity of the game and damaging the relationship between the two nations,” the assertion added.
“The decision to withdraw from playing the upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan is unfair and unexpected and will have a negative impact on the development and growth of cricket in Afghanistan, as well as affect[ing] the love and passion of the Afghan nation for the game.”
The ACB stated it was contemplating what motion to tackle the matter, together with the potential for writing to the International Cricket Council (ICC) and “rethinking the participation of Afghan players” in Australia’s home Twenty20 competitors, the Big Bash League (BBL).
The ACB assertion adopted feedback from outstanding Afghan participant Rashid Khan.
Khan, who performed for the Adelaide Strikers on this 12 months’s BBL, accompanied a press release on Twitter with the phrases: “Keep politics out of it.”
“I am really disappointed to hear that Australia have pulled out of the series to play us in March,” Khan wrote.
“I take nice pleasure in representing my nation and we have now made nice progress on the world stage. This resolution from CA units us again in that journey.
“If playing vs Afghanistan is so uncomfortable for Australia then I wouldn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable with my presence in the BBL. Therefore I will be strongly considering my future in that competition.”
CA had beforehand backed out of a proposed Test match in opposition to Afghanistan resulting from be hosted in Tasmania in November 2021 over the Taliban’s ban on girls collaborating in sports activities.
“Driving the growth of women’s cricket globally is incredibly important to Cricket Australia. Our vision for cricket is that it is a sport for all, and we support the game unequivocally for women at every level,” CA stated on the time.
Australia’s sports activities minister Anika Wells on Thursday stated Canberra helps Cricket Australia’s transfer.
“The Australian government welcomes Cricket Australia’s decision to withdraw from the upcoming men’s One Day International series against Afghanistan, following the Taliban’s increased suppression of women and girls’ rights,” she tweeted.
Although the Taliban repeatedly claimed it will defend the rights of women and girls, the group has finished the alternative, stripping away the hard-won freedoms for which girls have fought tirelessly over the previous twenty years.
The United Nations and at the least half a dozen main overseas support teams have stated they’re quickly suspending their operations in Afghanistan following the ban on feminine NGO workers.
