(Cricket News) Cricket Australia has indefinitely postponed their scheduled T20I series against Afghanistan, claiming no improvements in Taliban’s stance on women. The T20 series was planned to be held in UAE later this year and consisted of three games.

Cricket Australia kept the doors open for a bilateral series against Afghanistan only if the conditions of girls and women in Afghanistan improved under the Taliban rule. They already cancelled the one-off test and withdrew from the ODI series earlier and have now taken this step to postpone the T20s, pointing out the worsening conditions in the country.

Afghanistan happens to be the only full member side that does not have a women’s team and since the Taliban has taken over the country, the situation of the female population has been poor and has further deteriorated instead of improving.

The decision by the Cricket Australia was not welcomed by the likes of Rashid Khan and Naveen Ul Haq as they boycotted the BBL in response of the board’s earlier cancellations. Australia however faced Afghanistan in the 50-over World Cup last year, where a Maxwell madness won them the game out of nowhere.

“Over the past 12 months CA has continued to consult with the Australian government on the situation in Afghanistan,” CA’s statement said. “The government’s advice is that conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan are getting worse. For this reason, we have maintained our previous position and will postpone the bilateral series against Afghanistan.

“CA continues its strong commitment to supporting participation by women and girls in cricket around the world and will continue to actively engage the ICC and work closely with the Afghanistan Cricket Board to determine what actions could be taken to support the resumption of bilateral matches in the future.”

ALSO READ : Madhushanka set to miss the initial games of the IPL 2024