Australia set to cancel one-off Test match against Afghanistan due to Taliban's stance on women's sports
Cricket Australia (CA) have announced that they intend to cancel the one-off Test match against Afghanistan if new Taliban rules persist to withhold women from competing in sports. Reports have emerged that Taliban leaders will not allow women to compete in sports as it bodes against the principles of their religion.
Afghanistan were slated to tour Australia to play a Test match at the Blundstone Arena in Hobart. But, given the current circumstances, the short tour seems to be in jeopardy now, even though the Taliban have given the men's team the green light to compete in international fixtures.
Cricket Australia released a statement claiming that the proposed tour will be canceled if the Taliban's reported stance remains the same.
The statement read:
"Our vision for cricket is that it is a sport for all and we support the game unequivocally for women at every level.
"If recent media reports that women’s cricket will not be supported in Afghanistan are substantiated, Cricket Australia would have no alternative but to not host Afghanistan for the proposed Test Match due to be played in Hobart. We thank the Australian and Tasmanian Governments for their support on this important issue."
The Afghanistan men's team have only competed in five Test matches in their history. They faced India in Bengaluru in 2018 to kick-start their Test journey and the tour to Australia was touted as a huge learning curve for the side.
Religion rules do not allow women to play cricket: Taliban spokesperson
The men's team also had their ODI series against Pakistan postponed following issues with the mental state of the players as well as travel restrictions. The series was shifted from the UAE to Sri Lanka, but could not go ahead despite having no restrictions from the Taliban.
While the Taliban have offered some relaxation in their rules in terms of education of the women in the country, they have taken a firm stance when it comes to their representation in sport.
It seems to be a stance which they are not going to budge from, even with the consequences the men's team are facing as a result of it. Ahmadullah Wasiq, a spokesman for the for the Taliban government's cultural commission, told SBS News:
"Islam and the Islamic Emirate do not allow women to play cricket or play the kind of sports where they get exposed.
"In cricket, they might face a situation where their face and body will not be covered. Islam does not allow women to be seen like this."
Apart from the series against Australia, the men's team are also at risk of losing their full-member status. A nation needs to field both men's and women's teams in order to be recognized as a full-member by the ICC.