MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Afghanistan cricket officials blasted Australia's decision on Thursday to cancel their men's one-day international cricket series.
Cricket Australia cited recent heavier restrictions on women's rights in Afghanistan by the Taliban government for axing the three ODIs in March in the United Arab Emirates.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board said it was “extremely disappointed and saddened by the pathetic statement” from Cricket Australia and it would complain to the International Cricket Council.
It accused CA of prioritizing political interests over fair play and sportsmanship, undermining the integrity of the game, and damaging the relationship between the two countries.
“Cricket has played a significant role in promoting unity and national pride in Afghanistan,” the board said. “After years of war and conflict, cricket has helped to bring people together and provide a sense of normalcy to the country. It has also been an important source of hope and inspiration for all Afghans, particularly young people.”
It said it would rethink the participation of Afghan players in the Big Bash League if the decision was not reversed.
Afghan fast bowler Naveen ul Haq Murid called scrapping the series “childish” and accused Australia of taking away Afghans’ only reason for happiness instead of being supportive.
When Kabul fell to the Taliban in 2021, women were banned from playing sports on the grounds that doing so would contravene Islamic laws requiring their hair and skin to be covered.
Recent Taliban restrictions on women’s and girls’ education, employment opportunities and their ability to access parks and gyms were cited by Cricket Australia for dropping the men's ODIs following consultation with the Australian government and other groups.
“CA is committed to supporting growing the game for women and men around the world, including in Afghanistan, and will continue to engage with the Afghanistan Cricket Board in anticipation of improved conditions for women and girls in the country,” CA said.
Australia gave similar reasons for axing a one-off test match against Afghanistan in Hobart, Australia, in November 2021.
In December, the Taliban banned women from completing higher education, having prohibited attendance at gyms and parks a month earlier.
Women are also banned from attending school beyond the sixth grade and working most jobs outside of their homes.
In November 2021, the ICC formed a working group aiming to support and review women’s and men’s cricket in Afghanistan but more than a year later, the country remains the only full member of the ICC without a fully operational women’s team. Afghanistan is also the only full member not represented at the Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa starting this week.
___
More AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Women and girls in Afghanistan are banned from playing sport or attending middle and high school and university.
Australia will not take part in three planned ODIs in March as they stand against the treatment of women and girls in the Taliban-ruled country.
Last June, a team of female doctors and nurses drove six hours across mountains, dry riverbeds and on unpaved roads to reach victims of a massive earthquake that had just hit eastern Afghanistan, killing more than 1,000 people. In Afghanistan’s deeply conservative society, the women had stayed inside their tents, unable to come out to get medical help and other assistance because there were no women aid workers. “The women still had blood on them,” said Samira Sayed-Rahman, from the aid agency International Rescue Committee.
Most people know Jeremy Renner for his portrayal of superhero Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—not to mention his Oscar-nominated turns in movies like The Town and The Hurt Locker—and his many action roles that often put his characters in harm's way. But the A-list actor recently suffered a real-life injury while operating a snow plow at his home near Reno, Nevada, that sent him to the intensive care unit. Now, Renner's sister has an update on his recovery after the traumatic accident. R
The situation is critical in Soledar in Donetsk Oblast, and the death toll is now so high that "no one counts the dead". Source: CNN, in an interview with a serviceman from the 46th Airmobile Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Details: CNN is not naming the soldier for security reasons.
The stage has been set for a straight shootout between Arsenal and Manchester City for the English Premier League title and that scenario will become more of a reality if they win their respective derby matches this weekend. First up is the Manchester derby on Saturday, when City — looking increasingly unconvincing as the season progresses — faces a Manchester United team riding its best run of results in four years. United, no longer burdened with the baggage that came with having Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad, is brimming with confidence under Erik ten Hag and out to make amends for an embarrassing 6-3 loss to City in early October.
Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko on Jan.
Yahoo Finance Live anchors discuss this rise in stock for Taiwan Semiconductor following fourth-quarter earnings.
LUETZERATH, Germany (Reuters) -Riot police backed by bulldozers removed scores of activists from buildings in an abandoned village in western Germany on Thursday in a second day of confrontations over the expansion of a coal mine. Officers climbed ladders to reach protesters perched on roofs and walls in Luetzerath, which energy firm RWE wants to clear to expand its Garzweiler lignite coal mine. Some activists threw stones, bottles and firecrackers at police approaching a building with a pallet truck, though the demonstrations were largely peaceful.
“We had to go back to the drawing board to assess all the possible options to explain the observed behavior,” one astronomer said.
STORY: The South Korean government on Thursday (January 12) unveiled a plan to compensate victims of Japan's wartime forced labor.The funds would be paid through the government's own public foundation – instead of using funds from Japanese companies.The announcement has prompted a backlash from victims and their families, saying the plan would relieve Japan of its obligation to pay and apologize.The unresolved legacy of Japan's colonization from 1910-45, including restitution for Koreans forced to work at Japanese firms and in military brothels, has long been a source of contention between the two countries.In 2018 South Korea's Supreme Court ordered Japanese firms to pay reparations to former forced laborers. Although 15 South Koreans have won such cases, none have yet been compensated.The South Korean Foreign Ministry's Director-general for Asia Pacific Affairs, Seo Min-Jung defended Thursday's plan at the public hearing:"The government would visit the plaintiffs, victims and their families, ask whether they have intention of receiving it, explain thoroughly, and ask for full consent before making a decision."The proposals would see the compensation foundation funded by businesses that benefited from a 1965 treaty in which South Korea received an $800 million package from Japan.The Foundation for Victims of Forced Mobilization by Imperial Japan said it has secured initial donations from steelmaker POSCO totalling 4 billion won ($3.2 million). POSCO did not immediately respond to requests for comment.But Kim Young-Hwan, activist and director of victim aid organization Civic Group remained unconvinced."It's completely discharging responsibilities of Japan, I can't help but raise a serious issue.""There's no other way to be compensated for their lost youth, so they are saying they want an apology."Tokyo’s top spokesperson, declined to comment on Seoul’s compensation plan or its public hearing, saying they were domestic matters within South Korea.The rows over Japan and South Korea's wartime history have fueled concern over efforts to step up cooperation between the two key U.S. allies to rein in North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.
In the temporarily occupied city of Enerhodar in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the Russian invaders began to take away the apartments of local residents in order to accommodate workers imported from the Russian Federation.
Los Angeles prosecutors will retry “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson on three rape counts after a hopelessly deadlocked jury led to a mistrial in his first trial in November. The LA County District Attorney's Office declared prosecutors' plans in court filings and at a Tuesday hearing, where Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo rejected a defense motion to dismiss the charges. The move comes despite prosecutors failing to get even half of the previous jury to vote to convict on any of the counts against Masterson, who is charged with the rape of three women, including a former girlfriend, at his home between 2001 and 2003.
NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India and the United States have established a new working group to build sustainable supply chains and boost bilateral trade, the governments said in a joint statement on Thursday. At a meeting co-chaired by India's trade minister, Piyush Goyal, and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, the countries also agreed to continue close monitoring of visa issues and increase dialogue on food and agricultural trade issues in 2023. The United States will also consider India's interest in the restoration of beneficiary status under the U.S. generalized system of preferences program, the statement added.
The roadster has the same stunning metallic paint job as the racer.
Snap up bestselling snow pants for $28, an Oral-B electric toothbrush at a steep discount and more.
“Our hope has been destroyed.” The refugee’s cousin is raising money to build a new life in the US for his pregnant wife and seven children.
Actors Gerard Butler and Mike Colter team up in new disaster action movie "Plane." Despite their characters' disastrous experiences with flying, both stars love spending time in the air. (Jan. 12)
WATCH: Tuesday's Mega Millions jackpot now over $1 billion
A 28-year-old man reportedly upset about a missing laptop was arrested after smashing his car through the lobby of a hotel in Shanghai. No one was injured.
