The cricket governing body of South Africa has reaffirmed its resolve to continuing bilateral matches with Afghanistan in the face of boycott pressure due to the regime of the Taliban’s treatment of women. In a statement released on Thursday.
The decision was made in response to criticism from a number of sources, including Lawyers for Human Rights, an activist group, which contended that supporting Afghanistan’s men’s cricket squad may be interpreted as implicitly backing the oppressive Taliban government. CSA, on the other hand, has decided to address the matter delicately.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) addressed the controversy and outlined its position.
While CSA is a staunch supporter of gender equity and equitable recognition for women’s cricket, it made clear in its statement that it does not condone punishing Afghan cricket players for the acts of their government.
“CSA continues to be aware that no gender should ever be prioritised above another in the name of gender equity. We understand that supporting the rights of one gender should not come at the expense of the rights of the other. The CSA feels that secondary persecution of Afghan cricket players—male and female—is unjustified in light of the Taliban’s conduct. To address this issue, we will keep corresponding with member nations through the official channels of the International Cricket Council (ICC), the statement read.
Administrators and players in cricket stand to gain nothing from a fine: CSA statement
Cricket The International Cricket Council (ICC), of which South Africa is a Full Member and the only country without a women’s team, has been hesitant to ban Afghanistan. In contrast, the Cricket Australia decision to forgo bilateral relations with Afghanistan is at odds with the belief held by CSA that isolating the Afghan men’s team will not result in any meaningful improvement being achieved.
“Gender advocacy in cricket should never be advanced by meting out punishment on innocent cricket administrators and players for the misdemeanours of a regime that stands to lose nothing from that punishment,” the statement continued.
By drawing parallels with South Africa’s past of segregation in sports during the apartheid era, CSA is of the opinion that sports restrictions were not the main driver of change. believing that the downfall of the apartheid regime was mostly due to economic sanctions. In addition, the CSA recognises the strides the Afghanistan Cricket Board achieved in advancing women’s cricket prior to the Taliban’s 2021 prohibition on female involvement in sports.
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“Any measures we consider must take into account the progress made by the Afghanistan Cricket Board in promoting women’s cricket prior to the Taliban’s ban on female participation in sports in August 2021,” the statement continued.
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