Afghanistan superstar Rashid Khan has lashed out at Cricket Australia, threatening Big Bash League pullout after Australia postponed T20I series against Afghanistan.
Australia had previously withdrawn from a one-off Test match and a one-day international series against Afghanistan to be played in the United Arab Emirates in March 2023 due to ‘a marked deterioration’ in the treatment of females in the country.
Rashid, while emphasising the importance of facing top teams, sees these games as learning experiences that prepare Afghanistan for the high-stakes environment of the World Cup.
“It does hurt you. You do want to play against the best teams and that’s where your cricket is going to improve more and more. You only get the opportunity playing against them [Australia] in the World Cups, but not in bilateral series. You don’t want to play with my colleagues and you want to play with me. So what’s the difference? It means I’m putting my colleagues down as well. My country down as well,” Rashid Khan told ESPNCricinfo.
“We nearly chased 200 [212] against India. Imagine if you wouldn’t have played that, where would the confidence come from? Imagine if you wouldn’t have played that, where would the confidence come from? Playing against big teams is huge for us” said Rashid.
Cricket Australia says it has postponed the men’s bilateral T20 series as ‘conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan are getting worse’. “For this reason, we have maintained our previous position,” cricket’s governing body in the country said in its statement.
