Australia pull out of Afghan cricket series to protest women education ban

Australia's men's team has withdrawn from their one-day international (ODI) series against Afghanistan in March following further restrictions on women's and girls' rights imposed by the Taliban, Cricket Australia (CA) has said.

Thursday's announcement came in response to Afghanistan's Taliban-led government last month imposing a ban on women from attending universities. 

Girls have been banned from high school since March. They have also been excluded from parks and gyms.

"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," CA said in a statement.

Australia and Afghanistan were scheduled to play three ODIs in the United Arab Emirates, but CA scrapped the series after "extensive consultation" with stakeholders, including the Australian government.

"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."

READ MORE: A year after Taliban takeover, Afghans wait for a better future

'Monitoring progress'

The series formed part of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Super League, where the top eight teams automatically qualify for the 2023 World Cup. Australia have already qualified for the tournament.

Australia were scheduled to play a Test match against Afghanistan in November 2021 but the fixture was postponed after the Taliban seized power in August of that year.

Afghanistan remain the only ICC full-member nation without a women's team. They have continued to appear at ICC events since the Taliban takeover, however, and faced Australia during last year's Twenty20 World Cup.

ICC chief executive Geoff Allardice has said Afghanistan's lack of commitment to women's cricket is a concern for the sport's global governing body and that the matter will be discussed at its next board meeting.

"Our board has been monitoring progress since the change of regime," Allardice said. "It is a concern that progress is not being made in Afghanistan, and it's something our board will consider at its next meeting in March. As far as we are aware, there isn't activity at the moment."

READ MORE: When women speak: Afghan activists who are forcibly disappeared