Australia Test captain Tim Paine on Friday said teams might boycott playing against Afghanistan in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup if the country does not support women’s cricket following the Taliban takeover.
Cricket Australia on Thursday announced that the planned men’s Test against Afghanistan in November would not go ahead if the country does not support women’s cricket. Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) also said that it fully stands behind the move as the human rights issue in Afghanistan transcends the game of cricket.
Paine backed Cricket Australia and ACA’s said it would be “interesting” to see how a team like Afghanistan is allowed to play an ICC tournament.
“At this stage we’ve heard from CA, the Australian government, the Australian Cricketers’ Association, as yet we’ve heard nothing from the ICC, which I think is fascinating given there’s a T20 World Cup in just over a month’s time and Afghanistan are in that,” Paine said on SEN’s Jack & Painey show as quoted by Sydney Morning Herald.
“It will be interesting to see what happens in that space. Does a team get kicked out of the World Cup?
“We’ve heard literally no comment from the ICC. It will be interesting to see where that lands. But I would imagine it’s impossible if teams are pulling out from playing against them and governments are not letting them travel to our shores then how a team like that can be allowed to play in an ICC-sanctioned is going to be very, very hard to see,” he added.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is monitoring the changing situation in Afghanistan and the board will discuss the impact this might have on the continued development of the game in the country.
Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi on Friday welcomed the decision of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) to appoint him as the captain of the side for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Nabi was named Afghanistan captain after skipper Rashid Khan stepped down from the role on Thursday. Nabi said he along with the Afghanistan cricket team will present a great picture of the nation in the showpiece event.
“At this critical stage, I admire the decision of ACB for the announcement of leading the National Cricket Team in T20 Format. InshaAllah together we will present a great picture of the Nation in the upcoming T20 World Cup,” Nabi tweeted in the early hours of Friday.
Rashid decided to step down from captaincy after the spinner claimed that his “consent” was not obtained before announcing the squad for ICC men’s T20 World Cup slated to be played in UAE and Oman.