UAE: Australia call off T20 series against Afghanistan over women's rights

Australia have called off a T20 series against Afghanistan citing a deteriorating human rights situation for women and girls in the Taliban-ruled country, Cricket Australia (CA) said on Tuesday.

Australia withdrew from a one-day series scheduled for March last year in the UAE after the Taliban imposed strict restrictions on Afghan women, including banning them from attending universities.

The teams were scheduled to play three T20 matches in the UAE in August this year but CA said that after consultations with the Australian government it had decided to call off the series.

"The government's advice is that conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan are getting worse," the cricket board said in a statement.

"For this reason, we have maintained our previous position and will postpone the bilateral series against Afghanistan."

The Afghanistan Cricket Board was not immediately available to comment but a spokesperson for the Taliban administration defended the regime's human rights record.

"Afghanistan is a country that has fully observed human rights," Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters.

"This action of Australia isn't important to us."

• IPL 2024: Du Plessis relishes return of his favourite batting partner Kohli