CSA Committed To Playing Bilateral Series vs Afghanistan Amid Human Rights Backlash

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has announced it will continue to play bilateral fixtures against Afghanistan despite increasing calls for a boycott due to the Taliban's oppressive policies towards women in the country. This includes criticism from lawyers for human rights, who urged CSA to sever ties with Afghanistan as a stand against the regime's harsh restrictions on women, including banning them from participating in sports. CSA, however, has taken a more measured approach, stating that punishing Afghanistan's men's cricket team for the Taliban's policies would be unjust. In a statement released on Thursday, CSA emphasised its commitment to gender equity while also pointing out that penalising Afghan cricketers - many of whom had no part in the government's decisions - would not contribute meaningfully to improving women's rights in Afghanistan.

"CSA remains mindful that gender equity should never come at the expense of one gender over another," the statement said. "We recognise that advocating for the advancement of one gender should not undermine the rights of the other. CSA believes there is no justification for subjecting Afghan cricket players - both male and female - to secondary persecution for the actions of the Taliban. We will continue to engage with member countries within the formal structures of the International Cricket Council (ICC) to address this matter."

CSA's stance aligns with the ICC's approach, which has been hesitant to sanction Afghanistan despite their failure to field a women's cricket team. The ICC is reportedly concerned that forcing the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) to form a women's team could lead to dangerous repercussions from the Taliban, including potential harm to the players