Cricket South Africa has confirmed it will continue to play against Afghanistan in bilateral fixtures because it does not believe in punishing the men’s team for the Taliban’s actions in their home country.

CSA’s statement came after it was criticised for engaging in a brief white ball series against Afghanistan from activist organisation Lawyers for Human Rights, which said that by doing so, South Africa were tacitly endorsing a repressive regime.

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Restrictions on female participation in sport arose in Afghanistan immediately after the Taliban seized control over the state in September 2021 which the South African government has expressed grave concern over but hasn’t called for outright sanction. The CSA also followed a similar route.

In a statement issued on Thursday, CSA confirmed that although it believes “women’s cricket deserves equal recognition and success,” it would not unilaterally isolate the Afghanistan men’s team for its country’s government policy.

“CSA remains mindful that gender equity should never come at the expense of one gender over another. We recognise that advocating for the advancement of one gender should not undermine the rights of the other. CSA believes there is no justification for subjecting Afghan cricket players – both male and female – to secondary persecution for the actions of the Taliban. We will continue to engage with member countries within the formal structures of the International Cricket Council (ICC) to address this matter,” the statement read.

“Gender advocacy in cricket should never be advanced by meting out punishment on innocent cricket administrators and players for the misdemeanours of a regime that stands to lose nothing from that punishment,” it added.

CSA’s stand comes as a great relief for Afghanistan’s men’s side after Cricket Australia refused to play them in bilaterally in protest against human rights abuses, on three occasions in the past year.

South Africa and Afghanistan are currently playing a three-match ODI series in the UAE. Skipper Temba Bavuma missed the first match, which South Africa lost by six wickets, with illness. The second and third ODIs are scheduled to be played on Friday and Sunday.