A Test lucifer scheduled betwixt Australia and Afghanistan aboriginal this twelvemonth is apt to beryllium cancelled aft the Taliban confirmed they would prohibition women from playing sport.
The planned Test betwixt the 2 nations' men's teams was acceptable to instrumentality spot successful Hobart but present appears connected the ropes aft the Federal Sports Minister Richard Colbeck announced that Afghan athletes would "remain invited successful Australia, but not nether the emblem of the Taliban".
"The Taliban's attitudes towards women and their idiosyncratic rights should not beryllium accepted by the planetary sporting community," Senator Colbeck told the ABC
"Excluding women from athletics astatine immoderate level is unacceptable."
Senator Colbeck is present calling connected the International Cricket Council to instrumentality a basal against the Taliban, fixed their presumption connected women's sport.
It follows calls from Assistant Defence Minister Andrew Hastie, a seasoned of the decades-long struggle successful Afghanistan, to jettison the inaugural Test betwixt the 2 countries.
Hastie warned playing the lucifer would springiness the Taliban a "strategic triumph done the proxy of sport".
Spokesman for the Taliban's taste committee Ahmadullah Wasiq told SBS News connected Wednesday that athletics was not a necessity for women and that they risked exposing themselves successful the tract of play.
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"I don't deliberation women volition beryllium allowed to play cricket due to the fact that it is not indispensable that women should play cricket," helium told SBS.
"Islam and the Islamic Emirate bash not let women to play cricket oregon play the benignant of sports wherever they get exposed."
Cricket Australia released a connection echoing the calls of authorities figures astir the cancellation of the Test.
"If caller media reports that women's cricket volition not beryllium supported successful Afghanistan are substantiated, Cricket Australia would person nary alternate but to not big Afghanistan for the projected Test Match owed to beryllium played successful Hobart," it said successful a statement.
The inaugural Test betwixt Australia and Afghanistan had been scheduled to beryllium played successful Hobart this summer.