Usman Khawaja Wants Australia to Play Cricket Against Afghanistan

Melbourne, Australia – Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja believes that Australia should play a bilateral series against Afghanistan. In March, Cricket Australia (CA) postponed their tour of Afghanistan due to deteriorating human rights conditions in the country. The series was part of the ICC’s Future Tours Program and was scheduled for August this year. This is the third time Australia has refused to play Afghanistan since the Taliban took control in September 2021.

After Afghanistan’s surprising 21-run win against Australia in the Super 8 of the ongoing T20 World Cup, Afghan skipper Rashid Khan expressed his hope for a solution to the situation. Khawaja, while respecting CA’s stance, feels that playing against Afghanistan is important for promoting and growing the game.

“I personally think yes, we should be playing Afghanistan. I am sympathetic to both sides of the puzzle. I totally respect and agree with a lot of aspects of the stance Cricket Australia has in terms of women’s cricket in Afghanistan, but there’s also another side to it, of promoting and growing the game,” Khawaja said at an Amazon Prime event in Melbourne.

Khawaja also mentioned the disappointment of Afghan players like Rashid Khan, who is a star in Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL). Rashid had threatened to withdraw from the BBL due to CA’s stance but eventually made himself available, although he missed the tournament due to a back injury.

“It’s a little bit hypocritical too if we say no, we’re not going to play Afghanistan, but then allow Afghanistan cricketers to play in the BBL. They 100 percent should [play], but then how do you do one and not the other?” Khawaja added.