Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley has made a strong statement regarding the bilateral series with the Afghanistan national cricket team. He said that they will play against the Rashid Khan-led team only after there is a certain level of progress.

The relationship between Cricket Australia and the Afghanistan Cricket Board has not been very good in recent years. This is because the Australian body did not agree to play the bilateral series against the Asian team. After all, they stated that they did not want to play against a nation that does not support women.

Australia refused to play against Afghanistan three times and this led to a huge controversy between the two teams. Several Afghan players withdrew from the Big Bash League because of this, but the two teams continued to play each other only in ICC events.

In the recently concluded 2024 T20 World Cup, Afghanistan knocked Australia out of the tournament. The team put in a sensational performance with bat and ball and won the match. This was the first time that the Rashid Khan-led team beat Australia in cricket.

After that, even Australian player Usman Khawaja sent a heartfelt message to the Afghanistan national cricket team. He said that it was sad to see that they were not able to play in the Australian conditions. He also congratulated Rashid Khan for the incredible feat.

Following Cricket Australia’s refusal to play against Afghanistan, CEO Nick Hockley gave another update on the same issue. He first praised the Rashid Khan-led team for reaching the semi-final of the 2024 T20 World Cup, saying they played with great passion and spirit.

Speaking about the bilateral series, Nicky Hockley said they had consulted with stakeholders, including the Australian government, and mentioned that they had previously declined to participate on human rights grounds. He said:

“They [Afghanistan] “We had a fantastic tournament with phenomenal players, who played with great passion and spirit. As for our bilateral matches, we have consulted widely with stakeholders, including the Australian government, and decided to postpone our last two series with the Afghanistan Cricket Board on human rights grounds.”

We hope to make a level of progress and continue to discuss and maintain contact with the Afghanistan Cricket Board, with the aim of resuming bilateral cricket – Nick Hockley on playing Afghanistan

Nick Hockley further spoke about the relationship with the Afghanistan Cricket Board and said that they are hopeful of reaching a stage where they make a level of progress and are in a position to resume bilateral cricket. He explained:

“We maintain a close relationship and regular dialogue with the Afghanistan Cricket Board and we want to see cricket flourish across the world, for both men and women. We hope to make some level of progress and continue to discuss and maintain contact with the Afghanistan Cricket Board, with the aim of resuming bilateral cricket against Afghanistan at some point in the future,” he concluded.