Australia threatens to cancel the test in Afghanistan if women’s cricket banned in country

Australia will not host Afghanistan in a test match in Hobart if reports of a Taliban ban on women’s cricket turn out to be true, Cricket Australia said in a statement on Thursday.

The Taliban, which took power in the country on August 15 following the collapse of the Afghan government in the wake of American troops’ withdrawal from the country, banned sports for women in the country. It is a move that could cost Afghanistan its status as a Test-playing nation.

“If recent media reports that women’s cricket will not be supported in Afghanistan are substantiated, Cricket Australia would have no alternative but not to host Afghanistan for the proposed Test match due to be played in Hobart,” said Cricket Australia in its statement.

Cricket Australia further said that it is “incredibly important” for them to be driving the growth of women’s cricket globally. “Our vision for cricket is that it is a sport for all and we support the game unequivocally for women at every level,” it said.

The Afghan women’s squad was quietly disbanded amid safety concerns a few years after it was formed in 2010 but the ACB revived the team last year and gave contracts to 25 players.

The Test match between Afghanistan and Australia was set to be the first between the two countries and was scheduled to start on November 27.