Teams could pull out of T20 World Cup 2021 over Afghanistan: Tim Paine
Recently, Rashid Khan also stepped down from T20I captain of Afghanistan Cricket team.
Tim Paine is currently plying his trade for the Australian national cricket team. He captains the national team in the longest format of the game. The 36-year-old represented Australia in 35 Tests, 35 ODIs and 12 T20Is wherein he scored 1534, 890 and 82 runs respectively.
The wicketkeeper-batsman scored 9 fifties in Tests, 5 fifties and a century in ODIs. His career has been dogged by a string of injuries consistently or else he would have contributed a lot more for Cricket Australia. His wicketkeeping skills have never been in doubt.
He has taken 150 catches and affected 7 stumpings in Test cricket, 51 catches, 3 run-outs and 4 stumpings in ODIs, 11 catches, 2 run-outs and 3 stumpings in T20Is. Meanwhile, the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 is scheduled to be held in the United Arab Emirates and Oman respectively.
Ahead of the marquee event, several experts have been coming up with predictions. Meanwhile, Australia Test captain strongly feels that teams could pull out of the marquee event or even boycott playing Afghanistan over the Taliban’s reported ban on women taking part in the sport.
However, the apex body, ICC is yet to decide how to tackle the authorities’ viewpoint on women. The Afghan men’s team is scheduled to play the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 from October 17 to November 14. Under ICC rules and regulations, nations with Test status must also include an active women’s team.
Meanwhile, Australia on Wednesday added that it would cancel a maiden Test match against Afghanistan in Hobart in November unless the Taliban backtracks.
Tim Paine passes a bold statement regarding Afghanistan team
Meanwhile, Paine added that Australian players were supportive of Cricket Australia’s stance and added that there could also be some serious consequences for the World Cup. “I think so. I think it will be something discussed team-by-team,” he said on SEN sports radio.
“To see them pull of the tournament or have countries boycott it will literally, I think, be something that teams will discuss on the eve of that World Cup. We’ve heard literally no comment from the ICC so it will be interesting to see where that lands,” he added.
“If teams are pulling out of playing against them and governments are not letting them travel to our shores, how a team like that can be allowed to play in an ICC-sanctioned event is going to be very hard.”
In a statement mentioned on Cricket Australia’s official website, the ICC suggested it would be discussing it at its next board meeting that is scheduled for November. However, that would be only after the World Cup.
“The ICC has been monitoring the changing situation in Afghanistan and is concerned to note recent media reports that women will no longer be allowed to play cricket,” it said.
