MUMBAI: Australia star Steve Smith said the decision to let the team play Afghanistan in a crunch World Cup match was “above my pay-grade” as Cricket Australia faced accusations of “double-standards”.

Earlier this year, CA scrapped a three-match One-day International series against Afghanistan on the grounds the Taliban, who regained power in 2021, had placed fresh limits on education and work opportunities for Afghan women and girls, including female cricketers.

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In the run-up to Tuesday’s high-stakes match in Mumbai, Afghanistan fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq took to social media to suggest there was an element of hypocrisy in CA abandoning the one-day games but going ahead with a World Cup match where it had something to lose.

“Refusing to play the bilateral series, now it will be interesting to see cricket Australia stand in the World Cup #standards #human rights or 2 points,” Naveen wrote on Instagram.

Former Australia captain Smith, however, told a pre-match press conference at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Monday: “We obviously played against Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup at home recently and we’re playing tomorrow [Tuesday] so it’s not a question for me, it’s far above my pay grade.”

Cricket Australia had earlier responded to Naveen’s post, with a spokesperson telling News Corp Australia: “CA made the decision not to proceed with the three match ODI series against Afghanistan in March following the announcement by the Taliban of further restrictions on women’s rights including education and employment opportunities and the access to parks and gymnasiums.

“There is a distinction between playing bilateral series against Afghanistan which falls under CA control as compared to playing in a World Cup tournament which is an ICC [International Cricket Council] event and subject to their regulations.”

Tuesday’s World Cup match has plenty of significance for both sides, with emerging nation Afghanistan still in contention for a semi-final place after winning four of their seven pool matches so far during the tournament.

Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said he had no interest in looking back ahead of such an important fixture.

“I think right now we have a game tomorrow in the World Cup. If we focus on that, instead of these things [CA’s position on Afghanistan], it will be better,” Shahidi told reporters at the Wankhede later on Monday.

There have been boycotts and walkovers at previous World Cups, with both Australia and the West Indies forfeiting matches in Sri Lanka during the 1996 edition on security grounds.

England also refused to play a match against 2003 co-hosts Zimbabwe, citing safety concerns, with the lost points contributing to their early exit from that edition

Five-time champions Australia still need to win one of their final two group games, against Afghanistan and Bangladesh, to secure a place in the knockout stage and Smith said they’re peaking at the right time heading into the business end of the tournament.

Since losing to India and South Africa in their first two matches of the tournament, Australia have won five in a row and are third in the standings.

“You do want to be peaking at the right time in the end, but obviously you need to do enough to make the semi-finals,” Smith said. “I think that’d be the beauty of it if we were able to get there.

“We’re playing some good cricket so hopefully we can have a good day tomorrow, get ourselves in there and give ourselves a chance.”

Smith has struggled at the World Cup, scoring 205 runs in seven innings at an average of under 30. But he remains one of Australia’s better players of slow bowling, a skill required against an Afghanistan attack where spinners Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi have impressed during the World Cup.

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Afghanistan, who had enjoyed just one win from all their appearances at two previous World Cups, against non-Test side Scotland, have been one of the surprise packages in India with wins over reigning champions England, 1992 title-winners Pakistan and 1996 kings Sri Lanka to their credit.

“They [Afghanistan] have won some key moments in games against some good teams and clearly their spinners are a big threat, they’re quality bowlers and they’ve got some batters particularly at the top of the order that are taking the game on and can take it away from you,” said Smith.

“They’re a good side and I think they’ve come a long way in the last five or six years. They’re a tough side and you’ve got to play well to beat them.”

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2023