Cricket Australia Chief Nick Hockley Commits To Resume Bilateral Cricket With Afghanistan

Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley congratulated the Afghanistan men's cricket team for their victory over Australia in the league phase of the recently concluded T20 World Cup and reiterated commitment to resume bilateral cricket with the Asian nation. Earlier this year, in March, Cricket Australia postponed a men's T20I series against Afghanistan, scheduled for August this year, citing the deterioration of human rights for women and girls in the country. This decision followed their previous postponement of an ODI series against Afghanistan.

"We hope for progress and will continue to discuss and maintain contact with the Afghanistan Cricket Board. They had a fantastic tournament with phenomenal players and played with great passion. Regarding our bilateral matches, we have consulted extensively with stakeholders, including the Australian government, and chose to postpone our last couple of series with Afghanistan on human rights grounds," Hockley replied to IANS query in a selected media interaction.

"We maintain a close relationship and regular dialogue with the Afghanistan Cricket Board and want to see cricket thrive worldwide for both men and women. We hope for progress and continue to discuss and maintain contact with the Afghanistan Cricket Board, aiming to resume bilateral cricket against Afghanistan in the future," he said.

The CA chief also highlighted the Afghanistan women's team's exile in Australia and their request to the ICC to play. Hockley confirmed that discussions on this topic would likely take place in upcoming ICC meetings, while also noting that several Afghan women cricketers are already integrated into local cricket clubs in Australia.

"We understand that the Afghanistan women based in Australia