Rashid Khan: Australia pulled out of the ODI series against Afghanistan due to the Taliban’s oppressive behaviour against women. The decision was criticised as an attempt to politicise the game and did not sit well with the Afghanistan board or players. Rashid Khan has now spoken out about the situation and vowed to leave the BBL in addition to expressing his dissatisfaction over it.
What did Rashid Khan post on social media?
Taking to social media, Rashid Khan posted “I am really disappointed to hear that Australia have pulled out of the series to play us in March. I take great pride in representing my country and we have made great progress on the world stage. This decision from CA sets us back in that journey. If playing vs Afghanistan is so uncomfortable for Australia then I wouldn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable with my presence in the BBL. Therefore, I will be strongly considering my future in that competition.”
Prior to this, Cricket Australia had tweeted, “Cricket Australia 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.”
In a statement, cricket Australia had said “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.”
Afghanistan and Taliban struggle
The Taliban promised their reign this time would be kinder than the dictatorship seen in the 1990s, but since regaining control of the war-torn nation in August 2021, they have slowly limited women’s rights. Earlier last month, women were prohibited from working for NGOs and enrolling in college.
Afghanistan is the only ICC full member country without a women’s squad and will not field a team in the inaugural Women’s U19 T20 World Cup, which gets underway on Saturday. Australia will forfeit 30 competition points by leaving the game, which Afghanistan will get in its place.
The points won’t matter much, though, because Australia has already qualified for the ODI World Cup to be held in India later this year.
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