Cricket Australia chief Nick Hockley puts off bilateral series against Afghanistan until there is 'a level of progress' in women's rights
Cricket Australia (CA) chief Nick Hockley has declared that they will not play a bilateral series against Afghanistan until there is progress on the grounds of equal human rights for men and women in the nation. The CA boss added that they would stay in contact with the Afghanistan Cricket Board for the possibility of a series in the future.
Australia have called off bilateral series against Afghanistan on multiple occasions dating back to 2021. They first called off a one-off Test against the Asian side, scheduled to be played in Hobart. The other two instances include cancelling a three-game ODI series in 2023, and postponing a three-game T20I series in August this year.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Hockley revealed that CA held discussions with the Afghanistan board and a bilateral series could be played in the future. As quoted by ESPNcricinfo, he stated:
"Regarding our bilateral matches, we have consulted extensively with stakeholders, including the Australian government, and chose to postpone our last couple of series with Afghanistan Cricket Board on human-rights grounds. We maintain a close relationship and regular dialogue with the Afghanistan Cricket Board, and want to see cricket thrive worldwide for both men and women.
"We hope for a level of progress, and continue to discuss and maintain contact with the Afghanistan Cricket Board, aiming to resume bilateral cricket against Afghanistan at some point in the future."
Following Afghanistan's historic win over Australia in the T20 World Cup 2024, skipper Rashid Khan said he wished something could be done to facilitate a bilateral series between the two sides.
"We understand that the Afghanistan women based in Australia have written to the ICC" - Nick Hockley
Afghanistan women cricketers (contracted in 2020 by ACB before the Taliban takeover) recently requested the ICC to set up a refugee team in Australia. However, the CA boss had a neutral stance on it. He elaborated (via the aforementioned source):
"We understand that the Afghanistan women based in Australia have written to the ICC. That's a matter for the ICC to consider. We have meetings coming up in Colombo in July, and I'm sure it will be a topic of conversation. The Afghan women residing in Australia are engaged with the cricketing community, and they're receiving excellent support from across the community. But it's not something we were directly involved in."
Australia suffered a Super Eights exit in the T20 World Cup 2024, with Afghanistan qualifying for the semifinals in their stead.