CA postpones Afghanistan T20Is citing deteriorating human rights for women

New Delhi, March 19 (IANS) Cricket Australia (CA) on Tuesday announced that they postponed the men's T20I series against Afghanistan scheduled for August this year, citing the deterioration of human rights for women and girls in Afghanistan.

The three-match series was due to be hosted by Afghanistan, with matches expected to be played in the UAE.

CA previously cancelled a one-off Test match against Afghanistan, scheduled to be played in Hobart in November 2021. Later, it postponed the ODI series against for March 2023 after a marked deterioration in human rights for women and girls in Afghanistan, stating that 'we would continue to engage with the?Afghanistan?Cricket Board in anticipation of improved conditions for women and girls in the country'.

"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 said in a statement.

"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," it added.

This marks the third time CA has declined to play Afghanistan. However, Australia continued to play against Afghanistan at ICC-run tournaments, most recently at the 2023 men's ODI World Cup in India.