Australia registered their fifth win on the bounce in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup defeating arch-rivals England by 33 runs in Ahmedabad on Saturday, November 4 and consolidated their third position on the points table. Australia are expected to hold on to third position even after the group stage with games to be played against Afghanistan and Bangladesh. However, ahead of the game against Afghanistan, the buzz and the hype of the game has taken an interesting turn with an Afghan player calling out Australia's double standards.
Afghanistan pacer Naveen ul Haq referred to Australia's cancelled three-match ODI series between the two teams earlier this year to question Australia and their standards asking if human rights are still important to them two points are more crucial. "Refusing to play the bilateral series, now it will be interesting to see cricket Australia stand in the World Cup #standards #humanrights or 2 points?," Naveen wrote on his Instagram story.
For the uninitiated, Australia and Afghanistan were supposed to face each other in an ODI series in the UAE in March this year but Cricket Australia cancelled the assignment in January on humanitarian grounds citing the Taliban's "restrictions on women’s and girls’ education and employment opportunities and their ability to access parks and gyms."
“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," Cricket Australia had said.
It is unlikely that would happen since it's a World Cup match and no team would want to give away such crucial points that easily. However, Naveen has surely ruffled a few feathers with an unapologetic and brutally honest statement.
Australia will fancy themselves winning against Afghanistan, however, the Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side has won their last three games and will be keen to topple a fancied side like Australia.
