There is “no alternative” but to cancel November’s men’s Test match in Hobart between the Aussies and Afghanistan after the Taliban banned women from participating in sport, Cricket Australia (CA) said yesterday. It’s a position supported by the Tasmania government, but a final decision is yet to be made. CA boss Nick Hockley said they’d be led by the Federal Government and the International Cricket Council (ICC). On that front, a discussion on revoking their full ICC membership is slated for their board meeting in November. It’s compulsory for full ICC members to have a women’s team, and although an Afghan women’s cricket team has never played on the international stage, progress has been made in recent years. With Afghanistan set to play in a T20 tri-series involving Australia and West Indies early next month, there’s a lot of dust yet to settle.