England’s cricket board proposes an ‘ICC-wide’ response against Afghanistan over the Taliban’s crackdown on women in response to the MPs’ letter.
A group of British politicians has urged England to boycott their ICC Champions Trophy cricket match against Afghanistan next month, saying the country’s cricket officials need to take a stand against the Taliban’s crackdown on women.
A letter signed by more than 160 MPs on Monday called for England’s players and officials to speak out against the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan.
“We also urge the ECB to consider a boycott of the upcoming match against Afghanistan in the ICC Champions Trophy Group stage on February 26 to send a clear signal that such grotesque abuses will not be tolerated,” the letter added.
Penned by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi and signed by a cross-party group from the House of Commons and House of Lords including Nigel Farage and Jeremy Corbyn, it raises the “insidious dystopia” unfolding in Afghanistan.
Since its return to power in 2021, the Taliban has clamped down on the rights of women and girls, restricting their access to education and work, curbing their freedom of movement, and forcing them to cover their faces and bodies.
Women and girls have also been barred from sports and gyms, a breach of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) rules.
The Afghanistan women’s team was also disbanded, with several members fleeing the country after 2021.
The England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) chief executive Richard Gould responded to the politicians’ letter by calling for a uniform approach from all member nations towards Afghanistan’s participation in international cricket.
“The ECB strongly condemns the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime,” Gould said.
“The ICC Constitution mandates that all member nations are committed to the growth and development of women’s cricket. In line with this commitment, the ECB has maintained its position of not scheduling any bilateral cricket matches against Afghanistan.
“While there has not been a consensus on further international action within the ICC, the ECB will continue to actively advocate for such measures. A coordinated, ICC-wide approach would be significantly more impactful than unilateral actions by individual members.”
Australia have in recent years refused to play bilateral series against Afghanistan on three occasions, citing discomfort at the Taliban’s ongoing policies on women’s participation in sport but they continue to face the South Asian nation in major tournaments.
Cricket Australia has cited “deteriorating human rights for women and girls in the country under Taliban rule” as the reason behind its move to cancel the series, with CA chairman Mike Baird saying he was “very proud of the position we’ve taken”.
“We’ve taken a position, and we’re proudly standing up where we think we should,” Baird said.
“There’s all types of lines you can draw. We’ve drawn a line.”
In December, Afghanistan’s top cricket stars Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi urged the Taliban to reconsider its ban on women’s access to medical education and training, terming the move “deeply unjust”.
Rashid, 26, a global icon of the sport, said the country “desperately needs professionals in every field, especially the medical sector”.
T20 captain Rashid said he was speaking out in support of his Afghan “sisters and mothers” and believed the decision would profoundly affect Afghan women’s future as well as “the broader fabric of society”.
Afghanistan have become a greater force in white-ball cricket in recent years, rising to eighth in the ODI world rankings.
They beat England at the 50-over World Cup in 2023 and reached the semifinals of the T20 World Cup 2024, eliminating Australia in the process.
Afghanistan are placed in Group B – along with England, Australia and South Africa – for the eight-team Champions Trophy tournament that will be played in Pakistan and Dubai from February 19 to March 9.
Dubai will host India’s matches after the T20 world champions’ refusal to travel to Pakistan.
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