Due to the country’s declining human rights for women and girls, Cricket Australia decided to postpone a men’s Twenty20 International series against Afghanistan that was originally set for August of this year.
CEO of Cricket Australia Nick Hockley congratulated the men’s cricket team from Afghanistan on their win over Australia in the T20 World Cup league stage, and he reaffirmed the country’s intention to resume bilateral cricket matches with the Asian country. Citing the country’s worsening human rights situation for women and children, Cricket Australia had earlier this year, in March, postponed a men’s Twenty20 International series against Afghanistan that was originally slated to begin in August. This action came after they had previously decided to postpone an ODI series against Afghanistan.
“We look forward to making headway and will keep talking and communicating with the Afghanistan Cricket Board.” They participated in a fiercely competitive event with amazing talent. We have talked widely with stakeholders, including the Australian government, over our bilateral matches. Based on concerns about human rights, we decided to postpone our most recent two series with Afghanistan,” Hockley said in response to an IANS question in a chosen media interview.
“We hope to see cricket flourish globally for both men and women, and we have a close relationship and frequent communication with the Afghanistan Cricket Board. In order to resume bilateral cricket matches with Afghanistan in the future, we intend to make progress and will keep in touch and discuss with the Afghanistan Cricket Board,” he stated.
The head of the CA also brought attention to the exile of the Afghanistan women’s team in Australia and their plea to play for the ICC. Hockley said that a number of Afghan women cricketers have already been incorporated into Australian local cricket groups, and he acknowledged that talks on this subject will probably occur in future ICC meetings.
“We are aware that the Australian-based Afghan ladies have sent a letter to the ICC. It is going to be a topic of discussion at our upcoming meetings in Colombo in July. Although we weren’t personally involved, Afghan women living in Australia are actively interested in the cricket community, he said.
Hockley also made a suggestion that India and Pakistan, two of the strongest teams in cricket, might play a tri-series in Australia. Given that the two cricketing powers have only met at international ICC events and haven’t played a bilateral series since the 2012–13 season, this declaration represents a big development.
“Pakistan and India are traditional rival teams; there is a lot of excitement for their matches,” Hockley stated.
He reaffirmed Cricket Australia’s willingness to help and support such initiatives, even though no formal talks have been started yet: “To the extent that we’d be able to facilitate or help in that, we’d be very open to do so. However, the final decision rests with the respective cricket boards of India and Pakistan.”
This declaration highlights CA’s determination to close the gap between the two countries by utilising Australia’s neutral status to provide cricket fans with an exciting India-Pakistan cricket experience outside of ICC competitions.
There’s a real buzz about an India-Pakistan series, especially following their recent match in the group round of the 2024 T20 World Cup in New York, which drew 90,293 people.
India defeated Pakistan, captained by Babar Azam, by six wickets, and Rohit Sharma’s squad went on to win the title. Pakistan was unable to progress past the group stage.
“Given the schedules, we haven’t had formal discussions in that regard, but we have said it on the record that we will be happy to host the India vs. Pakistan bilateral series,” Hockley remarked in response to the excitement around these matches.
In light of the enormous attendance and success of previous events, the Melbourne Cricket Club and the Victorian government have also indicated interest in holding such high-profile matches.
Hockley also emphasized the need for bilateral series to have greater weight and importance, similar to the World Test Championship (WTC) format. “India hosted the ODI World Cup last year, and it was an incredible event. The ten-team model, in which each game is crucial, is fantastic, in my opinion.
“From an Australian perspective, we would continue to value all three formats and would also want that each bilateral series must have consequences in terms of qualifications for the World Cups,” he stated.
