> why did they play Afghanistan in 2018? Why in 2015?
Because at the time the Afghan National Government was cooperating with the west, and while still deeply flawed was allowing girls to go to school and university and get jobs. There was even a certain amount of democratic legitimacy to the Afghan government under Karzai and Ghani. They even had a women's cricket team which were playing international matches.
The cricket team was perceived to be representing that government.
The Taliban have reversed all of these things, so it's not surprising sporting organisations are changing their stance.
Edit: And in 1999 it wasn't even legal to play cricket on Afghanistan so I doubt they were playing many other nations at the time. The Afghan Cricket Board was actually based over the border in Pakistan until 2000 so it was out of the reach of the Taliban
old_chelmsfordian t1_j42gnvv wrote
Reply to comment by [deleted] in Cricket Australia pull out of Afghanistan ODI series over Taliban restrictions on Women's freedoms. by LexiFloof
> why did they play Afghanistan in 2018? Why in 2015?
Because at the time the Afghan National Government was cooperating with the west, and while still deeply flawed was allowing girls to go to school and university and get jobs. There was even a certain amount of democratic legitimacy to the Afghan government under Karzai and Ghani. They even had a women's cricket team which were playing international matches.
The cricket team was perceived to be representing that government.
The Taliban have reversed all of these things, so it's not surprising sporting organisations are changing their stance.
Edit: And in 1999 it wasn't even legal to play cricket on Afghanistan so I doubt they were playing many other nations at the time. The Afghan Cricket Board was actually based over the border in Pakistan until 2000 so it was out of the reach of the Taliban