Not the first time Australia cancelled fixture with Afghanistan due to Taliban's policies

Cricket Australia (CA) on Thursday announced the cancellation of its home ODI series against Afghanistan due to the Taliban's recent decision to restrict women and girls' education and employment. Australia and Afghanistan were due to lock horns against each other in a three-match ODI series in March. However, the ODI series between the two sides has now been cancelled because of the Taliban's repressive decision to ban women and girls from acquiring formal education and employment. 

"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. We thank the Australian Government for its support on this matter," the CA statement read.

Not the first time Australia cancelled its match with Afghanistan

Meanwhile, this is not the first time Australia has cancelled a bilateral fixture with Afghanistan due to the Taliban's policies on women and girls. Earlier, Cricket Australia called off a one-off Test against Afghanistan because of the Taliban government's repressive policies on women. The Test match was scheduled to be played in November 2021 but it did not go ahead as planned. However, Australia did play Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup 2022. 

Australia and Afghanistan have met four times in international cricket but never in a Test match. They have met just once in a bilateral series in 2012, while the other three meetings have come in World Cups. Australia and Afghanistan are slated to meet twice in the next FTP cycle. They are scheduled to play three T20Is at a neutral venue in August 2024 and Afghanistan are slated to visit Australia in August 2026 to play one Test and three T20Is.

Afghanistan is the only ICC full-member side that does not have a women's team in place. In the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa, Afghanistan is the only ICC full-member nation that will not send a team to take part in the competition. 

Image: cricket.com.au