Afghanistan Cricket Board disappointed over the recent postponement of another bilateral series

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has expressed disappointment over Cricket Austalia (CA) postponing yet another bilateral series between the two nations. The ACB has called for politics-free cricket across the globe.

On Tuesday, March 19, CA postponed the three-game T20I series against the Afghans, slated to take place in August. This is the third instance of CA taking such an action. It previously called off the one-off Test in Hobart in 2021, followed by the three-game ODI series in March 2023.

Cricket Australia cited human rights violations against women and girls and their non-participation in cricket in Afghanistan behind the decision.

CA's statement read as per cricket.com.au:

"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."

In this regard, the ACB has urged to be acknowledged as a full-member nation and look for solutions. ACB has also requested the Aussie government not to extensively control CA.

Australia and Afghanistan played an epic game at the 2023 ODI World Cup

The two sides played out a memorable encounter at the 2023 ODI World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Ibrahim Zadran created history by becoming the first Afghan batter to score a World Cup hundred, propelling his side to 291 in 50 overs.

However, Glenn Maxwell's dashing 201* overshadowed Zadran's knock. The all-rounder came out to bat when Australia were five down for less than 100. Maxwell played the most unforgettable innings of his career to lead the eventual champions to a three-wicket victory.

In the process, Maxwell also became the first batter in ODI cricket to score a double-hundred in the second innings.