Cricket Australia chairman defends decision to avoid bilateral matches with Afghanistan

Cricket Australia (CA) Chairman Mike Baird has stood by the decision not to play bilateral matches against Afghanistan, despite facing accusations of hypocrisy from outgoing ICC chair Greg Barclay. Barclay, whose tenure ended on December 1 with Jay Shah taking over, criticized boards that have refused to play Afghanistan outside of global tournaments.

Barclay told the UK’s Daily Telegraph in a wide-ranging interview, “If you really want to make a political statement, don’t play them in a World Cup. Sure, it might cost you a semi-final place, but principles are principles. It’s not about having half a principle.”

In response, Baird expressed that Cricket Australia remains firm in its stance on Afghanistan, emphasizing their ongoing support for Afghan female players now living in Australia. He pointed to an upcoming match between the Afghanistan Women's XI and Cricket Without Borders XI on January 30, which will take place at Junction Oval in Melbourne, prior to the Ashes Test at the MCG.

“I saw those comments this morning, and I hadn’t heard those views before in any forum,” Baird said. “So obviously he’s entitled to his view. He’s going on to new things, and we wish him well on that, but we’re very proud of the position we’ve taken. We’re supporting the Afghan women’s cricket team and those members that are still here, and we’ll be doing that at the end of the summer.”

Baird continued, “People have different views, of course, but we’re very comfortable with the position we’ve taken. There’s all types of lines you can draw. We’ve drawn a line, we’ve taken a position, and we’re proudly standing up where we think we should. I think that event that’s going to come at the end of January is a celebration of women and what we’re seeing in the women’s game in this country. We remain proud of it.”

Baird also addressed India’s decision to cancel public training sessions during their current tour. After over 5,000 fans attended India’s open practice at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday, plans for similar sessions in Brisbane and Sydney were canceled. However, Baird confirmed that training at the MCG would remain visible to fans, as it is in a public area.

“It's obviously a difficult time when you're going into a competitive Test series, and different teams will take different approaches,” Baird said. “We totally understand that. There’s huge pressure that comes, all types of things that can distract” he added. 

He further added that Cricket Australia would continue to make some of their own training sessions open to the public, as it helps fans feel closer to the team. “From our point of view, we love the fact that our players are open and available and they enjoy it as well. We want our fans to be connected to these players. It’s a once in a generation team with once in a generation players. That sort of experience, that’s how the game is going to grow. India’s taken a position and we totally respect [that]. We’re going to continue. We’ve done it for a long time” he described.