Cricket South Africa (CSA) has decided to continue its bilateral series against Afghanistan, despite growing demands for a boycott in protest of the Taliban's oppressive policies toward women. This decision comes in response to criticism from several activist groups, including Lawyers for Human Rights, who urged CSA to sever ties with Afghanistan as a stand against the regime's harsh restrictions, particularly its ban on women participating in sports.

In a statement issued on Thursday, CSA reaffirmed its commitment to gender equity but stressed that punishing Afghanistan's men's cricket team for the Taliban's policies would be unfair and ineffective in addressing human rights violations in the country.

"CSA remains mindful that gender equity should never come at the expense of one gender over another. We recognize 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," the statement read.

CSA's position is closely aligned with the ICC, which has been cautious about taking action against Afghanistan. Currently, Afghanistan is the only ICC Full Member without a women's team. However, CSA believes isolating the Afghan men's team would not lead to meaningful change in the country.

"Gender advocacy in cricket should never be advanced by meting out punishment on innocent cricket administrators and players for the misdemeanors of a regime that stands to lose nothing from that punishment," CSA further stated.