Retired Australian men's Test captain Ian Chappell is trying to raise money to support refugees in Afghanistan. "The outcome in this case may end up involving sporting or economic sanctions, but the process of getting to that point is important." "Before focussing on sanctions or non-participation in events, the ICC needs to make a commitment to protecting people's rights - not just its members - and to working with affected stakeholders - including players - and their representatives towards that," he said. This approach is especially problematic when we know that the relevant member may be part of systemically denying people their rights."Īnd while there has been a call from some quarters to boycott Afghanistan, that is not the first step according to Moffat. "The ICC does not currently have a framework through which to approach this beyond treating it as a 'member issue'. "As the game's global governing body, the ICC should be leading a coordinated approach on this, through the lens of its human rights obligations. "Any situation where women are denied their rights is unacceptable and although the situation in Afghanistan is bigger than cricket, to the extent people in our game are affected there is a requirement for cricket to act," Moffat told the ABC. Others are using even harsher language and demanding action, such as Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) chief executive Tom Moffat.įICA is the umbrella body for all player unions in cricket, including the Australian Cricketers' Association. "If teams are pulling out of playing against them and governments are not letting them travel to our shores, how a team like that can be allowed to play in an ICC-sanctioned event is going to be very hard," Paine said on SEN last month. ( AP: Matt Dunham)īut there are those in the cricket community who are demanding more from the ICC.Īustralian men's Test captain Tim Paine is one. "We have said all along we are waiting to see how things unfold under a different regime in that country," ICC interim chief executive Geoff Allardice said recently.Īfghanistan and Australia may meet in the men's T20 World Cup. It is not due to meet until the end of the men's T20 World Cup, most likely after Afghanistan is no longer in the tournament. Hockley said that was a matter for the ICC, which is kicking the can down the road as far as Afghanistan is concerned. Why is Afghanistan playing at all - given the ICC's rules - when so much is unknown about the status of the country's women's team?
They would have to meet in a semi-final or final, which is unlikely based on form. There remains the awkward possibility Australia and Afghanistan could meet in the tournament while CA is leaning towards not playing the side in a Test match.īut that prospect is an outside chance, given the two teams are drawn in separate pools. The team is ranked among the top eight in the ICC men's T20 rankings and boasts players of exceptional skill, such as leg spinner Rashid Khan, who is familiar to Australians thanks to his performances in the Big Bash League. In the meantime, Afghanistan men's team is about to play its first match in the T20 World Cup, which is underway in United Arab Emirates and Oman.Īfghanistan has shown it can produce world-class talent, such as Rashid Khan. Getting information about the whereabouts and welfare of the female Afghan players is exceptionally difficult. If women adhere to that, there is no problem in them taking part in sporting activities." "But what we need to keep in mind is our religion and culture. We've not been asked to stop women from playing cricket. "They have no problem with women taking part in sport. "We have spoken to the top Taliban government officials and their stance is that there is officially no ban on women's sport, especially women's cricket," he told Al Jazeera. The situation with the 25 women signed to national contracts with the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) remains unclear, although SBS has reported two of the women fled the country for Canada soon after the Taliban takeover.īut ACB chair Azizullah Fazli recently said it was all systems go as far as women's cricket in Afghanistan was concerned. "We're in regular contact with the Afghanistan Cricket Board." "What we're trying to do is establish all the facts on the ground and we're also working closely with the Australian government. 'We want to see cricket flourish in Afghanistan, and we want to see women and men's cricket flourish in Afghanistan," Hockley said last week. Cricket Australia expects the men's Test in Hobart will be put on hold, as it waits for more clarity from the federal government about the "situation on the ground" in Afghanistan.