Australia avoiding matches against Afghanistan, claims former captain Asghar Afghan

Former Afghanistan cricket captain Asghar Afghan has accused Australia of making excuses to avoid playing against the Afghanistan cricket team.

In recent years, Australia has refused to compete against Afghanistan, citing concerns over Afghanistan’s human rights record, particularly regarding women. However, Afghan believes that Australia is avoiding matches due to fear of losing to a strong Afghanistan side.

Speaking at the Legends League Cricket event, Afghan said, “There is a fear of playing us and losing. We are no longer the team we were a few years ago, and we can beat any side on our day.” He added that if Afghanistan played against Australia in Sharjah or India, it would be a tough challenge for the Aussies.

Afghanistan recently defeated Australia in the 2024 T20 World Cup, securing a convincing win by restricting them to 127 runs in response to Afghanistan’s 148/6. Afghan believes this win, and other close contests, demonstrate the narrowing gap between the two teams.