Australia pull out of Afghanistan series

Australia have withdrawn from a men’s one-day series against Afghanistan because of the Taliban’s restrictions on women and girls.

The three-match series was scheduled to take place in the United Arab Emirates in March.

Cricket Australia said it took the decision after “consultation with relevant stakeholders, including the Australian government”. The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021. They banned girls from going to secondary schools and from studying certain subjects as well as telling them they could only choose universities within their province.

On 20 December, they then banned women from attending university, provoking international condemnation. A few days later, the Taliban banned women from working for local and international NGOs. BBC