As we all know, the world has shamed Afghanistan for quite some time now since the Taliban took control of their nation. As a result of the Taliban’s activities, it is not yet sure if the country will participate in the next T20 World Cup. But, if they decide to take part, they may face a significant backlash from the ICC and may get suspended from this event.
Will Afghanistan Play The Next World Cup?
As the Taliban has taken over the strife-torn country of Afghanistan, it is becoming more and more uncertain every day whether they will take part in the next World Cup. Due to the mistreatment of the Taliban, the top officials in the Afghanistan Cricket Board have been replaced. Even women have been restricted from playing the game.
Hamid Shinwari was the executive director of the ACB, but he has recently been replaced by Naseebullah Haqqani. Amidst the increasing concerns of the game, the ICC is also predicting that they will see the Taliban flag being hailed as the Afghanistan flag in the match.
The T20 World Cup will begin on 17th October in the UAE and Oman. But, the ICC says if any such flag change request comes from Afghanistan, they will reject it straight up. They are also concerned that if the country finally plays, the other countries will agree to play with them under a changed flag scenario.
The Current Situation
As far as the recent events are concerned, all 16 countries participating in this competition will need to submit their flags within a few days. That’s why ICC is setting its eyes on the coming days because they want to see under which flag the Rashid Khan starring team participates.
The Taliban rulers have clarified that they will allow their senior men’s cricket team to participate in the event without any interference. So, it is inevitable that the country will participate in the match, but if they submit the Taliban flag, things will go downhill for them. So, ICC has thought of suspending the country from participating in the event, and they will also arrange a meeting with Rashid Khan soon on this matter.
If the present situation is considered, the Afghani players are busy playing in the second phase of the IPL 2021. Once the IPL is over, UAE stadiums will encounter the T20 World Cup. But, it is not sure if Afghanistan will take part in the event or not.
The ICC requires the member countries to have an absolute stature, structure, competence, and recognition to participate in the event. It also requires the country to have a successful women’s pathway to this game and a strong pool of players, ensuring a consistent selection for both men’s and women’s cricket teams.
What We Think
As the Taliban has already ruled out the Afghani women’s team to participate in international cricket, the country has violated one ICC criteria. If this Asian country decides to submit the original green-red-black tricolor flag, it will have serious repercussions this time. So, we have to wait for a few more days to see what Rashid Khan does and what action the ICC takes as a response.
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