Cricket Australia Defends Stance on Afghanistan Despite ‘Hypocrisy’ Accusation
Cricket Australia Stands Firm on Afghanistan Stance Despite Criticism
cricket Australia (CA) chair Mike Baird has defended the governing body’s decision to not play bilateral matches against Afghanistan, pushing back against accusations of hypocrisy from outgoing ICC chair Greg Barclay.
Barclay, whose tenure ended on December 1 with Jay Shah taking over at the ICC, criticized boards that have suspended playing Afghanistan outside of global tournaments. In a wide-ranging interview with the UK’s Daily Telegraph, Barclay stated, “If you really want to make a political statement, don’t play them in a World Cup. Sure, it might cost you a semi-final place, but principles are principles. It’s not about having half a principle.”
Responding to Barclay’s comments, Baird emphasized CA’s continued comfort with their stance on bilateral cricket with Afghanistan. He highlighted CA’s ongoing support for the refugee female players who now reside in Australia, support that will extend to an Afghanistan Women’s XI playing a Cricket without Borders XI on January 30 at Junction Oval, ahead of the day-night Ashes Test at the MCG.
“I saw those comments this morning, and I hadn’t heard those views before in kind of any forum,” Baird said. “So obviously he’s entitled to his view. He’s going on to new things, and we wish him well on that, but we’re very proud of the position we’ve taken. we’re supporting the Afghan women’s cricket team and those members that are still here, and we’ll be doing that at the end of the summer.”
Baird continued, “People have different views, of course, but we’re very pleasant with the position we’ve taken. There’s all types of lines you can draw. We’ve drawn a line, we’ve taken a position and we’re proudly standing up where we think we should. I think that event that’s going to come at the end of January is a party of women and what we’re seeing in the women’s game in this country. We remain proud of it.”
India’s Closed Training Sessions
Meanwhile, Baird adopted a diplomatic approach regarding India’s decision to not have further public training sessions during their tour after over 5,000 fans attended an open session at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday. Plans for open sessions in Brisbane and Sydney have been scrapped, even though fans can still watch the MCG nets from public areas.
Baird confirmed that CA would continue to make some Australian training sessions open to the public, believing it’s crucial for connecting fans with the team.
“It’s obviously a challenging time when you’re going into a competitive Test series, and different teams will take different approaches,” Baird said. “We totally understand that. There’s huge pressure that comes,all types of things that can distract.
“From our point of view, we love the fact that our players are open and available and they enjoy it as well. We want our fans to be connected to these players. It’s a once in a generation team with once in a generation players. That sort of experience, that’s how the game is going to grow. India’s taken a position and we totally respect [that]. We’re going to continue. We’ve done it for a long time.”
Cricket Australia Doubles Down on Envoy Ban Despite Criticism
Cricket australia (CA) chair Mike Baird has defended the governing bodyS decision to withhold bilateral matches from Afghanistan, brushing aside accusations of hypocrisy levied by outgoing ICC chair Greg Barclay.
Barclay, whose tenure concluded on December 1 with Jay Shah assuming the ICC helm, chastised boards suspending matches against Afghanistan beyond global tournaments. In an interview with the UK’s Daily Telegraph, Barclay stated, “If you really want to make a political statement, don’t play them in a World Cup. Sure, it might cost you a semi-final place, but principles are principles. It’s not about having half a principle.”
Responding to Barclay’s remarks, Baird affirmed CA’s unwavering stance on bilateral cricket with Afghanistan. He emphasized CA’s continued backing of female refugee players now residing in Australia, support that will extend to a match between an Afghanistan Women’s XI and a Cricket without Borders XI on January 30 at Junction Oval, preceding the day-night Ashes Test at the MCG.
“I saw those comments this morning, and I hadn’t heard those views before in kind of any forum,” Baird said. ”so obviously he’s entitled to his view. He’s going on to new things, and we wish him well on that, but we’re very proud of the position we’ve taken. We’re supporting the Afghan women’s cricket team and those members that are still here, and we’ll be doing that at the end of the summer.”
Baird continued, “People have different views, of course, but we’re very pleasant with the position we’ve taken. There’s all types of lines you can draw. We’ve drawn a line, we’ve taken a position and we’re proudly standing up where we think we should. I think that event that’s going to come at the end of January is a party of women and what we’re seeing in the women’s game in this country.We remain proud of it.”
Addressing India’s subsequent closure of training sessions to the public during their tour, Baird took a diplomatic approach.
“It’s obviously a challenging time when you’re going into a competitive Test series, and different teams will take different approaches. We totally understand that. There’s huge pressure that comes, all types of things that can distract,” baird remarked.
CA, however, will persist with open training sessions, believing fan engagement is vital.
“From our point of view, we love the fact that our players are open and available and they enjoy it as well. We want our fans to be connected to these players. It’s a once in a generation team with once in a generation players. That sort of experience, that’s how the game is going to grow.India’s taken a position and we totally respect [that]. We’re going to continue.We’ve done it for a long time.” Baird concluded.