Cricket Australia (CA) says government advice is that conditions for women and girls “are getting worse”.
It is the third time Australia has declined to play Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
A one-off Test match in September 2021 and a three-match men’s one-day series in March 2023 were also cancelled.
Cricket Australia has withdrawn.
“Australia have withdrawn” is still fine. They (Australia) have withdrawn.
Like many things, this is an area where Australians straddle the line between Britain and America.
In America, an organisation is singular. It is over organisation, after all.
In Britain, organisations are plural. They are made up of multiple people, after all.
We go either way. Stone might prefer “Australia has”, others prefer “Australia have”. Neither is wrong.