Ex-Afghanistan captain slams Tim Paine for questioning country's inclusion in ICC T20 WC

Former Afghanistan skipper Asghar Afghan has retaliated against Australian Test captain Tim Paine for questioning the war-torn country's participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup. Asghar took to social media to respond to Paine's suggestion that other countries avoid playing cricket against Afghanistan because of the Taliban's decision to prohibit women from participating in sports. Asghar advised Paine to avoid making "aggressive statements" that could lead to Afghan cricket being isolated. Asghar stated on Twitter that Paine is "mistreating" Afghan cricket by making such statements, adding that sports and politics should always be kept separate.

What did Tim Paine say?

Asghar Afghan's outburst comes after Paine on Saturday expressed his disappointment over the ICC's decision to allow Afghanistan in the upcoming T20 World Cup in the UAE. Paine said it is going to be "very hard" to see a team like Afghanistan taking part in the marquee ICC event. Paine, while speaking to SEN radio, said Australia doesn't want to be associated with a country that has excluded half its population from availing opportunities and other things, pointing at the Taliban's decision to ban women from playing any kind of sport that has a chance of revealing their face or body. 

Earlier on Thursday, Cricket Australia had issued a statement saying it will not host Afghanistan for the planned historic one-off Test in November because of the Taliban's decision to bar women from playing sports in the country. A day later, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) CEO Hamid Shinwari took to social media to request Australia not to cancel the one-off Test. Shinwari said Cricket Australia's "knee-jerk" reaction to the development in Afghanistan is not going to change the cultural and religious environment in the country. Shinwari said Australia should look for an alternative instead of cancelling the Test match against its men's cricket team. 

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has not issued an official statement on the situation, but a representative said the premier cricketing body is 'concerned' by the current developments in Afghanistan, where women cricketers have been prohibited from playing the sport. The board will consider the issue in their next meeting, according to the ICC spokesperson quoted by news agency ANI. The Afghanistan Cricket Board recently announced its team for the upcoming World Cup following which newly-appointed skipper Rashid Khan resigned, saying he was not consulted in the selection of the squad. 

Image: AP