The Taliban recently replaced the CEO of Afghanistan Cricket but the ICC have remained silent on the interference, instead opting to take a wait-and-watch approach.
Follow Us
Recently, the Afghanistan Cricket Board had sacked Hamid Shinwari as the CEO and appointed Naseeb Khan. This was seen as interference from the Taliban, who are now in charge of the country. There was silence. There is a situation developing where the cricket team could play with the Taliban flag and not with the existing national flag in the ICC World T20 2021. The ICC has adopted a wait-and-watch approach. Why is the ICC so pussy-footed on the issue of Afghanistan when it made knee-jerk reactions to ban Zimbabwe and Nepal?
It is these persisting double standards that make the ICC the last resort to find a solution. In the aftermath of the Taliban takeover of the country, there have been mixed signals emanating from the regime. The Taliban, unlike 1996 to 2001, are not too keen to ban cricket. But, when it comes to women’s development in cricket, they seem to have gone back on many things. This is the reason why Australia has canceled the Test against Afghanistan. The signals continue to be mixed. But, people from both of the spectrum are fighting their own battles. Many are sympathetic to the Taliban while others are just shunning them.
One cannot understand why the ICC is taking so long to bring about a decision when it comes to Afghanistan. They were so quick, T20 style, to ban the likes of Zimbabwe and Nepal due to political interference. It is a different matter altogether that the ICC has never had the guts to take a strong stance even against Pakistan, where political interference is rife.
People will try to whitewash the fact that the patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board has no direct influence on their cricket. But, he is an important rubber stamp in the process. If that is not political interference, then what is? Is it because Afghanistan has the strong backing of the Asian lobby? They look at the Afghanistan situation through the prism of tragedy, but that was also the case in Zimbabwe. But, there was total silence in their case.
Zimbabwe Cricket was suspended on 18 July after the board failed to ensure that there was no government interference in running the cricket body in the country. The ‘unanimous’ decision stated that the board had failed to fulfill its obligation to provide a process for transparent elections and to ensure that there is no meddling from the government involved in its administration for cricket. The same was true for Nepal and the USA, except in those cases they decided to let the teams participate in major events.
The USA and Nepal’s cricket associations have been guilty of government interference, yet the ICC has not made a strong statement. But, in the case of Afghanistan, the silence is deafening. In the coming few weeks, the ICC might want to monitor the development in Afghanistan. If the flag is as per the one which was before the Taliban, then the ICC will allow it. However, they will be guilty of avoiding the larger issue at stake.
When Australia decided to cancel the Test due to the lack of development of women’s cricket in the country, there were some that hailed the move. Afghan cricketers criticized the move, with Asghar Afghan leading the charge. But, in lot of cases, it is not the fault of the sporting personalities. The government, at large, has always been guilty when it comes to mismanaging sports in the country.
The classic case was South Africa. When the country was banned for 22 years due to the government’s Apartheid politics, they had great cricketers like Barry Richards, Graeme Pollock, and Mike Procter. Their skills had challenged the best in the business. Before their series win against Australia which they whitewashed 4-0, they had won in Australia and England as well. At the peak of their powers, it was the Government’s Apartheid that saw the side being isolated from all sporting competitions in the world.
At that time, the move worked. But, can one punish the Afghan cricketers because the situation in the country has been so volatile for 42 years? For far too long, Afghanistan has suffered from their cricket only coming to the fore due to many Afghans learning the game in the refugee camps of Pakistan.
In view of all this, can the ICC have the guts to take a strong stance? It will not make an iota of difference to the Taliban, who are regressive and brutal in their own ways. But, a sporting boycott can possibly result in some action. But, unlike South Africa, Afghanistan might be worn down by years of war and disillusionment.
The ICC’s wait-and-watch approach is also not helping. A firm decision, as they took on Zimbabwe, was the need of the hour but they botched it. Now, with the ICC World T20 less than a month away, there could be plenty of upheavals in any decision that is taken.
