Cricket Scotland said it will not schedule matches against Afghanistan outside International Cricket Council (ICC) events, citing concerns over the treatment of women \u200band girls under the Taliban government and broader human rights \u200cissues. Women’s sport has effectively disappeared in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, while access to education and employment opportunities for women has been severely curtailed. The \u200bTaliban say they respect women’s rights in accordance with their \u200binterpretation of Islamic law and local customs and that internal \u2060matters should be addressed locally. Scotland’s move aligns with decisions by Cricket Australia \u200band the England and Wales Cricket Board to suspend bilateral ties with \u200bAfghanistan, which the ICC made a Full Member in 2017. “This policy will be kept under review annually or following any significant ICC decision or material change in circumstances,” \u200bCricket Scotland said on Monday. It added that its decision was based \u200bon its commitment to growing women’s and girls’ participation in the sport, as well \u200cas the \u2060humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. Reuters has contacted the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) for comment. Scotland have not faced Afghanistan in a full international match since the 2021 Twenty20 World Cup, but the governing body said the ACB had requested \u200btraining facilities in \u200bJuly ahead of \u2060their men’s series against Ireland. The ACB had made another request for training facilities in Scotland in September regarding \u200bthe T20 Afghanistan Premier League, it added. Cricket Scotland also \u200bsaid it \u2060would continue to consider its contractual obligations to players and would issue no-objection certificates (NOCs) if the ICC gives the Afghan league official approval. “If an NOC \u2060is \u200bissued, participation by that player\/s must not \u200bbe interpreted as an endorsement by Cricket Scotland of the current Afghan regime or its policies,” \u200bthe statement said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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