Cricket Australia’s Complex Stance on Playing Afghanistan Raises Questions
Cricket Australia’s decision to withdraw from playing Afghanistan has sparked a debate, with Australia opener Usman Khawaja acknowledging the complex issues involved while suggesting that CA’s stance may be “a little bit hypocritical.”
The Withdrawal Decisions
Cricket Australia has twice cancelled plans to play against Afghanistan – a Test match in Australia and a T20 series overseas – citing “a marked deterioration in human rights for women and girls.” However, the country continues to face Afghanistan in ICC events.
Khawaja’s Perspective
Khawaja, speaking at an Amazon Prime event in Melbourne, expressed sympathy for both sides of the issue.
“I totally respect and agree with a lot of aspects of the stance Cricket Australia has in terms of women’s cricket in Afghanistan, but there’s also another side to it, of promoting and growing the game.”
Khawaja highlighted the disappointment of the Afghan people, who view cricket as a source of joy and happiness.
“This is the second time Australia have backed out of a bilateral series, and I talked to Rashid Khan. He was really disappointed, more so because the Afghanistan people love cricket, and for them cricket is one of the few things they enjoy and brings happiness, and the fact they were going to play Australia was going to be huge, and they don’t get to see that now.”
Hypocrisy Concerns
Khawaja also pointed out the “hypocritical” nature of allowing Afghan cricketers to participate in the Big Bash League (BBL) while refusing to play them in bilateral series.
“It’s a little bit hypocritical too if we say no we’re not going to play Afghanistan, but then allowing Afghanistan cricketers to play in the BBL,” he said.
Rashid Khan, the star Afghanistan cricketer, had previously threatened to withdraw from the BBL over CA’s stance but later made himself available before suffering an injury.
The complex issue of balancing political and social concerns with the growth and promotion of the sport continues to be a challenge for Cricket Australia and other cricketing nations.
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