Cricket Australia (CA) has postponed the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, citing restrictions on women’s rights in Afghanistan. 

The CA made the decision in consultation with the Australian Government and will continue to engage with the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in “anticipation of improved conditions for women and girls in the country”.

“Over the past twelve months CA has continued to consult with the Australian Government on the situation in Afghanistan. The government’s advice is that conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan are getting worse. For this reason, we have maintained our previous position and will postpone the bilateral series against Afghanistan,” stated CA.

“CA continues its strong commitment to supporting participation by women and girls in cricket around the world and will continue to actively engage the International Cricket Council and work closely with the Afghanistan Cricket Board to determine what actions could be taken to support the resumption of bilateral matches in the future.

“We again thank the Australian Government for its support.”

For the unversed, the three-match T20I series between Australia and Afghanistan was scheduled to take place in August this year.

This is the third time Australia have cancelled a bilateral fixture or a series with Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of Kabul in August 2021.

Earlier they postponed the one-off Test against the side scheduled to be played in Hobart in November 2021 before withdrawing from an ODI series against, supposed to be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in March 2023.

READ: Wanindu Hasaranga comes out of Test retirement for Bangladesh Tests