By Ian Omoro
As South Africa’s men’s team gets ready to play three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) against Afghanistan in the United Arab Emirates, the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) has released a statement endorsing the promotion of women’s cricket participation.
Due to the limitations placed on women in the nation by the Taliban leadership, Afghanistan is the only ICC Full Member without a women’s squad.
In addition to expressing worry about the “deteriorating human rights for women under the Taliban rule,” SACA wished to reaffirm its support for women’s cricket promotion worldwide on behalf of the players.
“World Cricketers’ Association and SACA do not condone any situation in which women’s players are excluded from competing in our sport,” Andrew Breetzke, SACA CEO said.
“Every athlete has the right to equality of opportunity protected by international law and set out in the Universal Declaration of Player Rights. That means each player has the right to equality of opportunity in pursuing a sport, free of discrimination, harassment, and violence. A player’s right to pursue sport cannot be limited because of his or her gender. We urge CSA to utilize the leverage available to it through this series to highlight that these rights for Afghanistan’s women’s players must be protected and respected,” he added.
As an ICC member who has participated in talks on the Afghanistan situation, CSA is not anticipated to respond to the statement.
Afghanistan is still listed on the ICC calendar as a Full Member, even though certain nations have declined to take Afghanistan in one-on-one matches. Australia has postponed its two series against Afghanistan in as many years after consulting with their authorities. Only once, at the T20 World Cup semifinal, which South Africa won, did South Africa play Afghanistan in a major tournament.
When asked whether playing against Afghanistan under the current administration would be considered, South Africa’s white-ball coach Rob Walter responded in the negative. He transferred the responsibility to Cricket South Africa, making no personal remarks. “To tell the truth, I have no business making those decisions. That’s all there is to it; ultimately, the heads of CSA determine whether or not we play,” he stated.
