Cricket Australia (CA) Chief Nick Hockley has said that CA will not have interaction in a bilateral series in opposition to Afghanistan till there’s a ‘stage of progress’ in reaching identical human rights for both males and females within the kingdom. Hockley delivered that CA will uphold discussion with the Afghanistan Cricket Board about the potential for a series in the future.
Australia has cancelled the bilateral series against Afghanistan multiple times starting in 2021. These cancellations include a one-off Test scheduled for Hobart, a three-match ODI series in 2023, and a T20I series in August before the World Cup.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Hockley disclosed that CA has been in discussions with the Afghanistan board, leaving open the possibility of a bilateral series down the line. As quoted by ESPN Cricinfo, he said:
“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 landmark win over Australia in the 2024 T20 World Cup, captain Rashid Khan conveyed his preference for efforts to be made to set up a bilateral collection among the two teams.
“We are aware that Afghan women residing in Australia have communicated with the ICC”- Nick Hockley
Afghanistan’s women cricketers, who were contracted by ACB in 2020 prior to the Taliban’s rise, recently appealed to the ICC for the establishment of a refugee team in Australia. However, the CA chief maintained a neutral position on the matter. He explained:
“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 exited the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup 2024, while Afghanistan advanced to the semifinals in their place.
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