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Thanks, that was a helpful summary, and I’m sorry the ICC won’t step up and do its job. Good on Australia though, I hope others follow suit.
Just a bit of background for those who aren't cricket followers: 
Afghanistan and Ireland were promoted to the exclusive club of Full Members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2017. This level of membership allows for automatic qualification for certain global tournaments (this particular series was part of once such tournament) and for better access to financial income from the ICC.
As a requirement of Full Membership, each country must have a 'pathway' for women players. At the time, Afghanistan had some sort of pathway, even if it were just on paper or in its infancy. Under the current regime, even pretending to have that sort of program would be difficult. The controversy now arises from the ICC being reluctant to reassess Afghanistan's membership level in light of them not being able to meet the requirements of Full Membership.