The ICC’s dilemma: Australia’s stand against Afghanistan sparks debate on political interference

On 19 March 2024, Cricket Australia (CA) announced its decision to withdraw from their three-match men’s T20 series against Afghanistan because of the ongoing restrictions on women and girls in the country. This will be the third bilateral series that CA have declined to play against Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. In March 2023, CA cited the “marked deterioration in human rights for women and girls” for not playing a scheduled ODI series, and the Australian Government has since advised that conditions are “getting worse”.1 Once again, this has thrust the spotlight on Afghanistan’s continued status as a Full Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and whether more national cricket associations should be following CA’s lead by taking matters into their own hands.

The ICC’s inaction towards the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) appears to be even more stark given that, as recently as November 2023, it suspended Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) due to a “serious breach of its obligations as a Member [of the ICC], in particular, the requirement to manage its affairs autonomously and ensure that there is no government interference in the governance, regulation and/or administration of cricket in Sri Lanka.”2  Although that suspension was subsequently lifted by the ICC on 28 January 2024, there have been allegations of double standards in circumstances where Afghan women and girls are banned from playing any sport under the Taliban. Such outright prohibition is seemingly one of the more extreme examples of government interference. Against such a backdrop, albeit a complex geo-political one, it begs the question: why have the ICC not taken action against the ACB in accordance with its governance framework?

This article examines:

• Obligations for ICC Members - government intervention and the women’s game
• The ICC’s historic handling of ‘political interference’ in cricket
  • South African cricket during the Apartheid era
  • Zimbabwe 2019
• The recent suspension of Sri Lanka Cricket
• Afghan cricket - an exception to the rule?
• What will the future hold?