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Cricket Australia CEO Hockley supportive of players taking position on Afghanistan

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Cricket Australia (CA) Chief Executive Nick Hockley expressed his support for Australia’s men’s players to voice their views on Afghanistan and the issue of competing against the Taliban-controlled nation in ICC tournaments, including World Cups.

An Afghanistan women’s XI is set to play a Cricket Without Borders XI on Thursday at Melbourne’s Junction Oval. This exhibition match aims to raise awareness about the struggles faced by women under the Taliban. It comes less than a month before Australia’s men’s team faces Afghanistan in the ICC Champions Trophy. While CA participates in ICC tournaments involving Afghanistan, it avoids bilateral series with the Afghanistan Cricket Board.

The presence of Afghanistan’s men’s team in ICC events has been widely criticized. Earlier this month, 160 UK MPs signed a letter urging England to boycott their Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan, set to begin in Pakistan next month.

Australia’s Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister Tim Watts stated, “We will not allow the current situation in Afghanistan to become the new normal” and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to advocating for the rights of Afghan women and girls.

The Afghanistan XI for Thursday’s match includes players who fled to Australia following the Taliban’s takeover in 2021. Firoza Amiri said, “It’s very special for all of us to get back together after three years, leaving everything and losing everything back home in Afghanistan, and come together again.” Captain Nahida Sapan added, “This match can open doors for Afghan women for education, sports and the future.”

Hockley said, “Absolutely, we’re very supportive of players having their own views and expressing their views. But it was a very difficult decision to postpone our men’s games against Afghanistan back then [last year].” He noted, “I think now, coupled with this support for the [Afghanistan] women’s team, I think there’s a general acceptance that we’re actually really shining a light on this issue.”

He highlighted CA’s role in advocating for women’s cricket within the ICC: “There are mechanisms within the ICC where they can support this group of players, whether that is setting aside a level of funding that would normally be allocated to women’s programs, until such time that they’re able to resume playing on the international stage.”

Hockley described Thursday’s match as a “first step” toward reintegrating Afghanistan women’s cricket into the international arena. “My hope is it promotes lots of conversations, that this becomes an annual thing, and then actually becomes more often, and ultimately that this team is able to compete on the international stage as is their want.”

Reflecting on his tenure as CEO, which concludes in March 2025, Hockley remarked, “It’s such a complex situation, it’s bigger than cricket. But hopefully what you see this week is that we’re doing those things that are within our direct control to be able make a positive difference.” Todd Greenberg, current CEO of the Australian Cricketers’ Association, will succeed him.

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Name of Author: Cricexec Staff

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