Australia pull out of Afghanistan series over Taliban restrictions on females

12 January 2023 , 10:08

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Women protested against the rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

The Australia cricket team have pulled out of their tour to Afghanistan.

The team were due to contest a three-match ODI series in March, which was due to take place in the United Arab Emirates. However, due to the Taliban's restrictions on women and girls, Cricket Australia have taken the decision to no longer participate in the series after "consultation with relevant stakeholders, including the Australian government".

Their statement read: “This decision follows the recent announcement by the Taliban of further restrictions on women's and girls' education and employment opportunities and their ability to access parks and gyms," said Cricket Australia. "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.”

Following their decision, Australia will forfeit 30 ODI Super League points, which go towards World Cup qualification. But they have already secured automatic qualification to the 50-over tournament in India in October.

The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021 and have since banned girls from going to secondary schools and from studying certain subjects. Girls were only able to study in a university of their province, but on December 20, they were prevented from studying at university altogether.

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A letter, confirmed by a spokesperson for the higher education ministry, instructed Afghan public and private universities to suspend access to female students until further notice in accordance with a cabinet decision. To make matters worse, just a few days later, the Taliban banned women from working for local and international NGOs and women were told they could no longer work in Afghanistan’s aid sector.

The Australia cricket tam have pulled out of an ODI series with Afghanistan (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Females have also been pushed out of many government jobs, prevented from travelling without a male relative, and ordered to cover up outside the home, ideally with a burqa. In March 2022 the Taliban made all middle and high schools accessible to girls, but in recent weeks any progress now seems to have been reversed.

This prompted widespread criticism and protests by Afghan women. The UN secretary-general's special representative for Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, thinks the Taliban have damaged any relationship with the international community.

Speaking at a UN Security Council session on Afghanistan, she said: "As long as girls remain excluded from school and the de facto authorities continue to disregard other stated concerns of the international community, we remain at something of an impasse."

US Deputy UN Ambassador Robert Wood added: "The Taliban cannot expect to be a legitimate member of the international community until they respect the rights of all Afghans, especially the human rights and fundamental freedom of women and girls."

Liam Llewellyn