Hours after a Taliban spokesperson said that cricket was not permitted for women under the Islamic law, the Australian cricket board has announced that it will not be hosting a historic Test match between the two nations scheduled to be played at Hobart from November 27.

"Driving the growth of women’s cricket globally is incredibly important to Cricket Australia," a Cricket Australia statement said today.

"Our vision for cricket is that it is a sport for all and we support the game unequivocally for women at every level. If recent media reports that women’s cricket will not be supported in Afghanistan are substantiated, Cricket Australia would have no alternative but to not host Afghanistan for the proposed Test Match due to be played in Hobart," it added.

The first men's Test between Australia and Afghanistan was already facing an uncertain future after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan last month.  

On Wednesday, while speaking with Australia's Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) News, the deputy head of the Taliban's Cultural Commission, Ahmadullah Wasiq, said that sport is not seen as something that is important for women.

"I don't think women will be allowed to play cricket because it is not necessary that women should play cricket," Wasiq said.

"In cricket, they might face a situation where their face and body will not be covered. Islam does not allow women to be seen like this. It is the media era, and there will be photos and videos, and then people watch it. Islam and the Islamic Emirate do not allow women to play cricket or play the kind of sports where they get exposed," he said while explaining Taliban's stance further.

The Taliban spokesman had told the same broadcaster last month that they would allow the men's cricket team to travel to Australia for the Hobart Test.

However, after Thursday's development, even the future of the country's men's team, which features star players like Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi, appears to be in great danger.

The game's governing body, International Cricket Council (ICC), is closely monitoring the situation even though it has included the Afghanistan team in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 to be played in the UAE in October.  

The Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) today stated that what is happening now in Afghanistan is a human rights issue that transcends the game of cricket.

"And while we would love to see players such as Rashid Khan play in a Test match against Australia, hosting this Test match cannot be considered if that same opportunity to play the game is denied to Roya Samim and her teammates," the ACA said in a statement.

Australia's Sports Minister Richard Colbeck has also called on the ICC to take a stand against the Taliban.

"The Taliban's attitudes towards women and their individual rights should not be accepted by the international sporting community," Colbeck told ABC Radio adding that Afghan athletes would "remain welcome in Australia, but not under the flag of the Taliban".

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