Cricket Australia (CA) has postponed this month's Afghanistan test in Hobart, until the situation regarding the women's game in the South Asian nation becomes clearer.
In September, CA said it would scrap the test if the Taliban government, which took power in August, did not allow women and girls to play the sport.
"Following extensive consultation with relevant stakeholders, Cricket Australia and the Afghanistan Cricket Board have agreed to postpone the inaugural men's test match against Afghanistan," CA says.
"CA is committed to support growing the game for women and men in Afghanistan and around the world. However, given the present uncertainty, CA felt it necessary to postpone the test match until a later time, when the situation is clearer."
Afghanistan's remarkable recent rise in cricket has been the sport's biggest fairytale, but the strife-torn nation risks isolation, after the country's Taliban takeover.
Taliban officials say they will not repeat the harsh rule of their previous government, which banned most girls' education and forbade women from going out in public, without a male guardian.
The Afghan cricket board has requested the support of other full members of the International Cricket Council, as it looks to retain its place in global cricket.
Afghanistan's status will be discussed at an ICC meeting on the sidelines of the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
Despite the test postponement, CA says it looks forward to hosting Afghanistan players - "who are great ambassadors for the game" - in Australia's upcoming domestic T20 competition - the Big Bash League.
The board says it also looks forward to hosting both the Afghan women's and men's teams in the "not-too-distant future".
In early September, CA said it would call off the test, if media reports that women's cricket would be banned in Afghanistan were substantiated.
The threat followed a report by Australian broadcaster SBS that quoted a Taliban representative as saying cricket was "not necessary" for women.
Australian Sports Minister Richard Colbeck said the Taliban's position was "deeply concerning".
The Australian Government cancelled a tour of Zimbabwe in 2007 over former president Robert Mugabe's crackdown on political opponents in the African country.
Australia did not play South Africa from 1971, until the end of apartheid.
Australia's test team planned to use the Afghanistan match, scheduled to begin November 27, to prepare for the Ashes series against England, starting December 8 in Brisbane.
Instead, Australia's players will have an internal three-day match from December 1 in Brisbane, about two weeks after the squad is announced in mid-November.
CA also published England's warm-up arrangements, with Joe Root's team playing the second-string England Lions twice in Brisbane from November 23-25 and November 30-December 3.
Reuters
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