Cricket News: Why Australia withdrew from ODI series against Afghanistan

Cricket Australia has made the decision to not participate in the ODI series against Afghanistan. The series was originally planned to be played in the UAE in March.

The Taliban's limitations on women in various areas was the reason cited by the board in making its judgement. In a formal statement, CA made it clear that their decision to take the call was motivated by the Taliban government's limitations on women and girls pursuing jobs and education.

For those who are unaware, the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021 and banned women from playing sports. This included the national women's team, which has turned into the main justification for the Australians' decision to boycott the bilateral series.

The Australians were originally scheduled to play a lone Test match in Hobart in November 2021. The board did state that the Taliban government's views on women would result in the red-ball game being postponed, though.

"CA is committed to supporting 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,"

the CA statement read.

"We thank the Australian Government for its support on this matter."
"Cricket Australia is committed to supporting 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,"

captioned CA on their official Twitter handle.

The two teams are scheduled to play twice in the Future Tours cycle in 2024 and 2026, however their most recent matchup took place at the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022.

Meanwhile, Australia and Afghanistan have only met once in an ODI this year; they have never faced off in a red-ball match.

Afghanistan will receive 30 points as a result of Australia's withdrawal from the World Cup Super League three-match series. The points won't mean much to Australia, though, given they have already secured a spot in the 2023 ODI World Cup.

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