'Can cricket solve those issues?' - Rashid to reconsider playing BBL over CA stance on Afghanistan

Rashid Khan has been greatly troubled by the decision taken by Cricket Australia (CA). A few days ago, the Australian board postponed the series against Afghanistan. There was supposed to be a three-match T20 series between Australia and Afghanistan in August this year. Rashid recently spoke about this issue on the cricket-based website Cricinfo.

The decision to postpone the Afghan series was largely based on discussions with the Australian government and cricket board. The main reason cited by Australia was the disruption of rights that children and women in Afghanistan should have, which led them to this decision.

Rashid, who is currently in India playing for Gujarat Titans in the IPL, said in an interview with Cricinfo, "It will hurt you."

"You want to play against the best teams; that’s how you improve your cricket. You only get to play against them (Australia) in the World Cup, but not in any bilateral series."

Rashid will lead Afghanistan in the upcoming T20 World Cup. Playing against big teams can naturally bring benefits to Afghanistan, as seen when they lost a T20 series against India 2-1 last January.

"We recently played a three-match T20 series against India, and it helped us a lot. We nearly chased down 200 against India. Think about it, where would the confidence come from if you don't get such opportunities? Playing against big teams is a huge deal for us."

Previously in 2021, Australia also postponed the only Test match against Afghanistan. Not only that, they also decided not to play the ODI series planned for 2023. This marks the third time they have chosen this path.

Following these events, Rashid decided to withdraw from the last Big Bash League (BBL), although he later changed his decision to play. However, he could not participate in that season due to an injury.

Rashid is reconsidering his participation in the upcoming BBL. He stated, "A lot is on my mind."

"If you don't want to play against my team, why would you want me to play in your country? You don’t want to play against my teammates, but you want to play with me? What's the difference? It means I am belittling my teammates and my country."

The Afghan star added, "If they play against us and we play against them, that’s how we can play there. That’s the only way to solve this problem."