T20 WC 2021 | Afghanistan’s T20 World Cup participation could be jeopardy, suggests Tim Paine

Taliban’s recent takeover of Afghanistan has impacted the country and citizens in more ways than one. Cricket has had its fair share too, with clouds hovering over the national team’s participation at the T20 World Cup, as well as their scheduled historic Test match against Australia later this year.

"But as yet, we've heard nothing from the ICC, which I think is fascinating given there is a T20 World Cup in a month's time and at the moment Afghanistan are in that.

"I imagine it will be impossible if teams are pulling out playing against them and governments are not letting them travel to our shores, then how a team like that can be allowed to play in an ICC-sanctioned event is going to be very, very hard to see."

Paine further stressed that the possibility of the Hobart Test taking place seems all the more bleak now, highlighting Taliban's opposition to women’s game, and to women’s rights in general, as a major factor.

"(The Hobart Test) is not looking good, we are in a world of trouble no doubt about that, but the reasoning around it is probably fair enough," Paine said.

"There are probably two levels to it. There's the cricket aspect to it from an ICC point of view that to be a Test-playing nation you have to have an international women's team, obviously with the Taliban at the moment banning women from playing any sport and that has implications at an ICC level.

"I don't think we want to be associated with countries that are taking things or opportunities off literally half of their population."

Afghanistan named their T20 World Cup squad on Thursday, September 9, with Rashid Khan as captain, only for the star spinner to setp down from the role soon after, in protest to the selection.