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Afghanistan's fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq has stirred up some pre-match tension ahead of their upcoming encounter with Australia in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023. The match between Afghanistan and Australia is slated to take place at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday, November 7.
Taking to the social media platform Instagram, Naveen chose to voice his thoughts, commenting on the irony of Australia now participating in a World Cup match against Afghanistan after having previously declined a bilateral series. Back in late March, Australia had chosen to forfeit a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan in the United Arab Emirates following the Taliban's declaration imposing restrictions on women's and girls' education and employment.
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"Refusing to play the bilateral series, now it will be interesting to see cricket Australia stand in the World Cup #standards #humanrights or 2 points," Naveen posted on his Instagram story.
Prior to the World Cup, Naveen had expressed his disappointment with Cricket Australia's decision to withdraw from the ODI series in March, a move which also saw Australia pull out from the Big Bash League (BBL). Notably, Naveen had been representing the Sydney Sixers in the BBL.
The withdrawal from the ODI series against Afghanistan led to Australia forfeiting 30 ICC ODI Super League points to Afghanistan. This series formed a crucial part of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Super League, where the top eight teams were assured a spot in the 2023 World Cup. Despite the loss of points, Australia's prior qualification for the tournament rendered the impact minimal.
Furthermore, Australia's proposed Test match against Afghanistan in November 2021 was also scrapped in the aftermath of the Taliban's takeover in August that year.
With the upcoming clash between the two teams in Mumbai, the match has garnered significant attention, now serving as a pivotal game in the context of both teams' qualification for the World Cup semi-finals.
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