England reject calls to boycott Afghanistan match, saying cricket is ‘source of hope’

England’s cricket authorities have rejected calls to boycott an upcoming match against Afghanistan in the ICC Champions Trophy over the Taliban’s oppression of women and girls.

Richard Gould, the chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), told The Independent that the body strongly condemned the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan and called for a coordinated global response.

But he suggested England would not boycott international tournament matches against Afghanistan, arguing that cricket was a “source of hope and positivity for many Afghans”.

England are set to face Afghanistan in Pakistan’s Lahore on 26 February for the tournament – one of the first major championships of the year.

Activists had called on the team to use the opportunity to stand up for around 14.2 million Afghan girls and women, who are denied basic rights like education and employment in the country under the Taliban’s rule.

“The ECB strongly condemns the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime. The ICC Constitution mandates that all member nations are committed to the growth and development of women’s cricket,” Mr Gould said.

“In line with this commitment, the ECB has maintained its position of not scheduling any bilateral cricket matches against Afghanistan,” he said.

“We acknowledge and respect the diverse perspectives on this global issue. We understand the concerns raised by those who believe that a boycott of men’s cricket could inadvertently support the Taliban’s efforts to suppress freedoms and isolate Afghan society. It’s crucial to recognise the importance of cricket as a source of hope and positivity for many Afghans, including those displaced from the country,” Mr Gould said.

While England have not scheduled any bilateral series against Afghanistan, they have continued to take part in ICC matches against the team. England played Afghanistan at India’s capital Delhi at the men’s World Cup in 2023.

England and Afghanistan have met six times in international cricket in all – thrice in ODIs (2015, 2019, and 2023 World Cups) and thrice in T20I (2012, 2016, and 2022 World Cups).

The Afghanistan cricket team, including captain Rashid Khan, have previously been accused of not doing enough to speak out against the Taliban leadership.

Mr Gould said while there has not been a consensus on 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,” he said.

Mr Gould said that the ECB is committed to finding a solution “that upholds the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan while also considering the broader impact on the Afghan people”.

Afghan women, activists and several public figures have called for a ban on the Afghan men’s cricket team’s participation in the eight-country tournament.

“The Taliban have pushed Afghan women and girls out of virtually every aspect of public life, including sport. Sporting organisations should be doing much more to stand by Afghan women and girls and by their own professed values, by suspending Taliban-run Afghanistan from international sport until women and girls are restored to 50-50 participation,” said Heather Barr, interim deputy women’s rights director at Human Rights Watch.

Tonia Antoniazzi, a Labour lawmaker for Gower, wrote to the ECB on Monday and called for a boycott of the upcoming match. “This blatant denial of opportunities for Afghan women cricketers is appalling, and forms just one element of the Taliban’s unconscionable oppression of women and girls that continues unabated,” she said in a letter signed by more than 160 parliamentarians.

“Sport was only the first joy to be removed from women in Afghanistan, and since then life for them has become incomprehensibly unbearable, with the Taliban removing their most basic human rights and freedoms at a prolific scale,” she added.