CA stays cold on Afghanistan bilaterals while supporting Afghanistan women refugees

SYDNEY (Agencies): It remains to be seen whether Australia will play any bilateral cricket against Afghanistan in the future after signing a partnership agreement with global children’s charity UNICEF Australia to promote the foundation’s ‘Until Every Girl Can Play’ campaign aimed at gender equality. CA will hold fundraisers for UNICEF Australia at the upcoming Perth Test and the women’s Ashes Test at the MCG in January having been particularly vocal on not scheduling men’s bilateral cricket against Afghanistan outside of World Cups due to the Taliban government’s stance on women’s rights. CA has cancelled three bilateral series with Afghanistan in recent years. According to the Future Tours Programme Australia is due to host Afghanistan in a men’s Test and three T20Is in July 2026. Whether that goes ahead remains to be seen.

Hockley said CA is continuing to support a group of Afghanistan female cricketers who live and play in Australia. The group have asked the ICC to assist them in setting up a refugee team based in Australia in the absence of a national side. “Certainly over the last three years, they’ve been extremely well supported by really every level of the cricketing community, from clubs, state associations,” Hockley said at the MCG on Tuesday at the unveiling of the UNICEF partnership. “We’ve certainly sought support in the background. I’ve had the real privilege to meet and spend some time with the players, and certainly we are working behind the scenes on ways we can continue to support.”

UNICEF Australia CEO Tony Stuart was asked whether CA should even play Afghanistan’s men in world events. “I keep out of the politics of this, because what has made UNICEF, I think, good at what it does, is it works with every country, 200 countries in the world., and to do that, you have to be neutral,” Stuart said. “We are the Red Cross of children, and what we do encourage, wherever we are in the world, is participation. We will continue to encourage that in Afghanistan. And I have to say, living in Australia, I’m so pleased to see so many of the Afghan women here in Australia and I hope in the future, they get the opportunity in some way to participate in the game.”