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LexiFloof OP t1_j41xn8e wrote

Cricket Australia have pulled out of a 3 match ODI tour in the UAE against the Afghanistan cricket team.

This is the 2nd time Cricket Australia have cancelled bilateral matches against Afghanistan. In 2021 shortly after the Taliban takeover Cricket Australia cancelled a one-off Test match that was to be hosted in Tasmania.

Cricket Australia have been pressuring the ICC (International Cricket Council) to ban or suspend the Afghanistan Cricket Board since the Taliban took over Afghanistan. Concerns have been raised on multiple occasions over the stance of the Taliban on (initially) Women's sports and later Women's rights in general.

It remains to be seen if CA pulling out will cause other national boards to take a stance. The ICC next meet to discuss Afghanistan's future in cricket in March.

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Macro_Tears t1_j424ens wrote

Women’s tennis and cricket Australia are the only organizations in the world standing up to these awful countries it seems.

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Thunderboltscoot t1_j4271gc wrote

The only shock i read in this is the taliban allows a cricket team that goes abroad

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SidKafizz t1_j429mcp wrote

This is the proper way to treat all autocratic and theocratic states.

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CaptSzat t1_j42anh1 wrote

I mean even North Korea has sports teams that go abroad so I don’t think it’s really shocking. Like what difference is 40 people leaving your country to go play a sport? Maybe a couple don’t come back (doubtful) but I’m pretty sure most of the team play in other leagues regardless outside of Afghanistan.

It’s basically free propaganda if they do well and if they don’t do well, you either act like they never played or that they played valiantly.

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Chuckdatass t1_j42d86l wrote

Well also the athletes generally have people they care about back home that wouldn’t have a happy life if they defect. So that’s good motivation to force the athletes to come home

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10tion2DETAIL t1_j42dkcq wrote

You mean to say, everything was fine up until that point in time?

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MaygarRodub t1_j42fpq5 wrote

Tough shit? I don't see an issue with it. Media coverage, etc. means more people become aware and in this crazy world, some people don't pay attention to the news and care more about sport so, as I said, this highlights issues.

Also, what do you mean, 'are the Taliban wrong?' Yes, they're wrong about most things, it would seem. Not sure what you're getting at.

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Boeijen666 t1_j42ga3l wrote

Good, fuck them. We don't need Afghanistan or any country that abuses its citizens in the ICC.

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old_chelmsfordian t1_j42gnvv wrote

> why did they play Afghanistan in 2018? Why in 2015?

Because at the time the Afghan National Government was cooperating with the west, and while still deeply flawed was allowing girls to go to school and university and get jobs. There was even a certain amount of democratic legitimacy to the Afghan government under Karzai and Ghani. They even had a women's cricket team which were playing international matches.

The cricket team was perceived to be representing that government.

The Taliban have reversed all of these things, so it's not surprising sporting organisations are changing their stance.

Edit: And in 1999 it wasn't even legal to play cricket on Afghanistan so I doubt they were playing many other nations at the time. The Afghan Cricket Board was actually based over the border in Pakistan until 2000 so it was out of the reach of the Taliban

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jamughal1987 t1_j42huui wrote

Afghanistan did the same to Zimbabwe. Tit for tat.

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mickelboy182 t1_j42m47c wrote

So if you don't do the right thing at the first possible instance you should just never do the right thing?

Great logic, the world would be an even more awful place if this were to be the prevailing attitude.

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RealPropRandy t1_j42m8au wrote

Taliban weren’t so tough when they still had American boots up their asses.

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FireVanGorder t1_j42pzzb wrote

Mad respect to the Aussies. This is how the world should have reacted to the Qatar World Cup

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StyrofoamTuph t1_j42qds5 wrote

I’m an American who went down a rabbit hole around a year ago learning how cricket was played and how the international game looks today, and the Wikipedia page for cricket in Afghanistan is particularly interesting. Essentially, cricket is such a big part of Afghan culture and their ability to compete internationally is so important that the Taliban would create a lot of problems for themselves if they ever tried to ban the sport.

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anti_queue t1_j42r2fz wrote

Don't know why you're being downvoted. You make a good point.

I couldn't understand why a team from this fustercluck country was allowed into Australia last year for the T20 World Cup!

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akie003 t1_j42rjm0 wrote

Still went to Qatar for football, their horse ain't so high

−41

AttackHelicopter_21 t1_j42vaze wrote

The only reason cricket is a thing in Afghanistan is because of the Soviet Afghan War. Millions of Afghan Pashtuns fled to Pakistan. The Afghan kids born or growing up in Pakistan picked up cricket from the Pakistani kids.

After 2001, millions of Afghans returned to Afghanistan and those refugees brought cricket with them. Large parts of the Taliban’s original force consisted of Afghans who grew up in Pakistani refugee camps where they picked up cricket.

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Dingo2611 t1_j42y2nh wrote

Cricket Australia is a completely different entity to Football Australia, both of which are non-government organisations that make independent decisions about each sport

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LexiFloof OP t1_j42zrbc wrote

This is only the 3rd time Australia has been scheduled to play Afghanistan since the Taliban took over.

The first time, a single Test match, was cancelled in the immediate aftermath of the Western withdrawal and Taliban takeover.

The second time was in a World Cup, Teams only pull out of WC matches if there is a legitimate security risk. Even Pakistan and India still play their World cup matches, despite the precarious politics between the countries.

This is the third time. A 3 match ODI series to be held in the UAE.

They haven't had very many chances to make this call, and have been pressuring the ICC to make a decision on Afghanistan's future in the sport. The ICC have repeatedly voted to kick the can down the road.

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Scazza95 t1_j433vy9 wrote

It's the right move by CA.

I'm just baffled that the ICC haven't stepped in at all when it clearly states that in order to be a test playing nation, you must have a women's team.

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Nazgul417 t1_j4346zu wrote

England: We’re banning Russian tennis players because they’re Russian and Russia bad

Everyone: Sounds good to me

Australia: We’ve decided not to play cricket in a nation that actively abuses women and denies them equitous treatment

Everyone: Stop being such a baby and play

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MoldyLunchBoxxy t1_j4352v4 wrote

Everyone should stop supporting these countries that don’t have basic human rights.

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TheLostwandering t1_j43dcit wrote

Before the Taliban takeover, the ACB at least was making nosies about a women's team which allowed them to be full members. The moment the Taliban went no women's sport the ICC should of taken away the full membership.

If the ICC had any balls this wouldnt of been CA problem.

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ThedirtyNose t1_j43i7wv wrote

Good for them. Now pull oit of matches in Australia until Women get equal pay.

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NotXiJinpingGoUSA t1_j43l55d wrote

Seems like the best bet to escape the taliban is to be good at cricket

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[deleted] t1_j43qhuu wrote

I’m glad we’re at the point where some of us recognize that the Taliban is bad 👍 good work everyone

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Attorney2257 t1_j43r839 wrote

Also the situation in Qatar and the situation in AFC aren't quite the same. One is run by a terrorist outfit. The other committed human rights violations. People in the west love hating Middle Eastern countries so ig I can see why most of you won't see the difference and use it justify your hate of these countries.

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OldGodsAndNew t1_j43z5ee wrote

Happens all the time with certain other countries - Eritrea is probably the most notable, like half their squad disappears every time they play an away international (including the junior & women's teams)

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BarOne7066 t1_j43zp1p wrote

I thought the Afghanistan men's team themselves refused to compete afew years ago because the Afgan women's team got banned from playing by their fuckwit government. They may have been diswaded.

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wigam t1_j4450qg wrote

South Africa and apartheid where locked out of international sport but Afghanistan and women all fine.

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noeagle77 t1_j449x7w wrote

You can’t really be against something if it is all you have ever known and we’re taught that it was fine for generations at this point. It’s so sad that a lot of the younger adults and the kids now have no idea this version of Afghanistan isn’t what it used to be like

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Madshibs t1_j44fayz wrote

“Look what I can do”

Dude looks like Stuart from MadTV

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engi-nerdy t1_j44p1j7 wrote

So the Taliban existing as normal is okay then as long as they don’t infringe on women’s rights.

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jamughal1987 t1_j44q85w wrote

What you gotta say about BCCI monopoly on Bharti players to not allowed to play in other T20 leagues? Will ECB and Cricket Australia ever grow a ball and refuse their players from playing in IPL if BCCI keep monopoly on Bharti players?

−16

_NotMitetechno_ t1_j44vhka wrote

It's hard to gauge how much people want something under an oppressive regime. People should have the freedom to choose whether they want to live that lifestyle not be entirely forced into living it.

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Straight-Knowledge83 t1_j4504ju wrote

If there was Xenophobia, Afghan and Bangladeshi players wouldn’t be allowed either. Your allegations are baseless, India only has a problem with Pakistan , that’s not Xenophobia. That’s like calling the US racist because they place sanctions on North Korea

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Ancalagon523 t1_j452txz wrote

Is Taliban restricting women's freedom in Bangladesh and Ireland too?

−1

pat_speed t1_j454bbu wrote

Actually spine from aussie boys, gopd too see

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BigPoppaPuff t1_j457i19 wrote

7th tier club team? Holy hell they must be awful. Are they even soccer players or just women being rescued by the Australian government as refugees? That’s ridiculously bad for a supposed national team.

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BigPoppaPuff t1_j457x1e wrote

The Olympics being held in China last year and having westerners fall over themselves to praise China was a disgrace. The World Cup at least got some attention. With China it suddenly became a topic of it being racist to critique the Chinese government because current year.

0

dickminsterfullerene t1_j45d8t9 wrote

But how does this solve women's rights in afg ? And weren't the taliban just ignoring the afg cricket team ? I think they never recognized their cricket team.

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Teantis t1_j45hwua wrote

I have no idea of their quality but they joined 10 months ago and presumably have to start at the bottom of the football pyramid and win promotion. They can't just get inserted into a higher league.

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Yuo_cna_Raed_Tihs t1_j45kagv wrote

Doing the whole western puppets spiel isn't very sympathetic when the facts are that while western puppet, women had rights, and once they're not a western puppet, women did not have rights.

If that's the difference between being a western puppet or not I'd happily support all of the global south becoming western puppets

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Truand2labiffle t1_j45keq9 wrote

This does not only apply to oppressive regimes... All our life is conditioned by unmovable forces. What you call freedom is just an illusion of a choice, this feeling than in this liberal world you're a master of your own destiny, but it's a lie

Check out my boy spinoza he ll explain it better

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piratecheese13 t1_j46041o wrote

Who’s idea was it to have Afghanistan host? Or was this arranged before the pull-out?

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piratecheese13 t1_j4612yo wrote

The things people do when others tell them they’ll go to hell if they don’t do something. You can’t argue with people who believe.

(Slowly looks back at US women’s health issues) hmmmmm

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LexiFloof OP t1_j466a7x wrote

The series was scheduled as part of the ODI Super League back in 2019. It was never going to be played in Afghanistan due to the potential danger of an attack, so it was planned for India initially, before being tentatively moved to the UAE after the pull-out.

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Potato-Mental t1_j479srn wrote

Can we stop for a minute and appreciate the hilarious awkwardness of the picture they chose?

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_NotMitetechno_ t1_j4emc1a wrote

No shit. But in the "Liberal world" most women have the choice on being a mother who stays at home, a worker or a mixture of both. I don't believe that the western world is truly "free" but no society will enable complete freedom due to the nature of living in a society.

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Ancalagon523 t1_j4fpz91 wrote

They have a very good women's team and CA doesn't tour them. the common factor between Bangladesh, Ireland, and Afghanistan is that they are all smaller teams and australia don't tour them because it's not as financially lucrative compared to playing against bigger teams like england and india. All this moral policing is bullshit because cricket Australia have a long record of cancelling series. Taliban or no Taliban they were always going to cancel it.

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Vaginal_Decimation t1_j4hc4oh wrote

I meant today, and the point is it's a playground for rich Saudis, and Saudia Arabia doesn't have great womens' rights either.

In response to someone making an ethical claim about the NFL, because they play games in London sometimes.

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