DUBAI: Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi reacted to Cricket Australia’s decision of withdrawing from the three-match ODI series between the sides in UAE which was set to take place in March 2023 and stated that the board is mixing cricket with politics, which is not the right decision.
“The problem is not that we are playing in UAE. They see cricket and politics from the same angle which is not the right decision,” stated Nabi while talking to ANI.
The former Afghan captain called out Cricket Australia for its decision to play them in the ICC T20 World Cup when the tournament was hosted in Australia. He further stated that Australia had no issue competing against them when they were in dire need of two crucial points to proceed further in the tournament.
“The right decision has not been made. If they really wanted to protest they should have also not played us in the T20 World Cup and pulled out of that game as well. They needed two points and a victory by a big margin to improve their run-rate to proceed in the tournament further,” expressed the all-rounder.
Nabi said that the two teams have hardly played against each other in the past few years and the decision to back out will not affect Afghanistan.
“They have hardly played matches with us in the past few years. We have just played two matches with them, one ODI in 2012 and another T20 in World Cup last year. We will not loose anything by their decision to pull out. We have talent and it would have made for a good three match ODI series but they pulled out and I am not sure for what reason,” mentioned the Afghan player.
Cricket Australia (CA) on Thursday announced that Australia’s men’s ODI series against Afghanistan in the UAE in March will not go ahead and that the board will “continue to engage with the Afghanistan Cricket Board in anticipation of improved conditions for women and girls in the country.”
Nabi is in Dubai to represent Sharjah Warriors in the inaugural ILT20 League and talked about his expectations from the cricket tournament.
“Our team combination is really great. We played two warm-up games and it was great to have some prcatice before heading into the tournament, hopefully we will start with a win. Expectations from the league is high as it features a lot of international players that are top-notch. The teams in the league are based on IPL franchises which adds to the excitement,” said the all-rounder.
The player was unsold in the IPL mini auction held in December. Talking about the IPL snub, he said, “I was not dissapointed of going unsold in the IPL as I have not performed to the expectations and will try to perform well this year.”
Nabi heaped praises on the team’s youngsters who are playing in T20 Leagues around the globe and hoped for his team to perform well in the upcoming World Cup to be held in India.
“Afghanistan cricket is reaching new heights. The new players have lifted the cricket of Afghanistan and feature in the best T20 leagues all around the world. We are improving day by day. We hope of good performance in the World Cup in India as we have played there and our home ground has been there. We would play and try to go as far as possible in the tournament,” concluded the 38-year-old. (ANI)
Also Read: Afghanistan Cricket – Then And Now
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