- England’s cricket board proposes an ‘ICC-wide’ response against Afghanistan over the Taliban’s crackdown on women in response to the MPs’ letter.
LONDON (Agencies): 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”.