Afghanistan cricket: Everything you need to know as England pressure ICC to do something | Cricket news

Politicians and cricket boards are calling on the International Cricket Council (ICC) to take a stand against Afghanistan over the Taliban’s abuse of women’s rights.

The situation is sensitive and complex with the England men’s national team now being called to boycott next month’s Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan and ECB president Richard Gould also writing to the ICC demanding changes.

Here’s everything we know so far…

Why is he calling for a boycott?

England are due to face Afghanistan in Lahore on February 26 during the Champions Trophy, but there have been various calls for the game to be boycotted.

That’s because the Taliban’s abuses of women’s rights in Afghanistan have gotten worse, with one of the latest laws banning women from speaking in public.

Boycotting games against the men’s team will bring much-needed attention to the state of the women’s team, while also setting a precedent for what the sport will not tolerate.

What is the background?

On August 15, 2021, the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan and women’s rights began to deteriorate rapidly as they banned girls from schools and universities and raided the homes of female athletes, some of whom were forced to burn their equipment to avoid being identified. .

This was not the first time women’s rights came under the Taliban’s restrictions, they also ruled from 1996 to 2001 when they were ousted from power.

The Taliban lifted the ban on cricket in 2000, which allowed the sport to develop significantly.

In June 2017, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) convinced the International Cricket Council (ICC) to grant it full member status, giving the men’s national team the right to participate in official Test matches.

Despite not meeting the criteria around women’s cricket, they were granted membership with the belief that progress would be made in that area.

In 2020, 25 women were given central contracts and featured in national cricket board advertising campaigns.

However, a year later, the women’s cricket team was forced to flee after the Taliban regained power, seeking refuge in Pakistan before obtaining emergency visas for Australia, where most of them currently live.

Under Taliban rule, payments to the women’s side were stopped and the team received no contact from the ICC or ACB despite repeated attempts.

Who spoke?

No one from the Afghan men’s national team has publicly supported their colleagues.

However, various human rights organizations have come forward over the years.

In 2023 Human Rights Watch called the situation in Afghanistan “a form of gender apartheid”.

Last year, Amnesty International also urged the ICC to stop ignoring the women’s team and show their support, saying: “It’s terrible that the cricket team had to flee for their safety, but it’s also extremely worrying that Afghanistan’s women cricketers feel so let down by the ICC and the international cricket community.

“Having rightly pledged to uphold anti-discrimination values, the ICC must stop ignoring Afghanistan’s valiant women’s team and move to provide proper recognition and support.”

England head coach Jon Lewis also expressed his support: “I think they should play. Everyone deserves the right to represent their country in whatever sport they choose.

“The fact that they’re being denied that, from my point of view, I don’t believe it’s the right decision.”

Recently, a group of more than 160 politicians, including Nigel Farage, Jeremy Corbyn and Lord Kinnock, signed a letter calling for a boycott of England.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called on the ICC to “deliver its own rules” and Culture Minister Lisa Nandy said the match “should go ahead” to avoid punishing the England team, but suggested British dignitaries should boycott the event. .

With increasing pressure on the ECB, its boss Richard Gould wrote to his ICC colleague urging the sport’s global governing body to consider taking action against the Afghanistan Cricket Board.

What did the ICC do?

In 2021, the ICC established a Task Force on Afghanistan to help influence change and monitor the situation in the country.

However, the entire committee was exclusively male and had no representatives from the Afghan women’s team.

After the 2023 meeting, cricket chiefs raised Afghanistan’s budget significantly but gave no update on the women’s team.

While the women’s team lived in exile, they were completely ignored by the ICC and the governing body was also unresponsive Sky Sports’ requests for comment on the situation.

But now with politicians contributing to the discourse, an ICC spokesman said Sky Sports News: “The ICC remains closely engaged with the situation in Afghanistan and continues to work with our members.

“We are committed to using our influence constructively to support the ACB in promoting the development of cricket and ensuring playing opportunities for men and women in Afghanistan.

“The ICC has established an Afghanistan Cricket Working Group, chaired by the Deputy Chairman Mr Imran Khwaja, to conduct an ongoing dialogue on the issue.”

ICC regulations dictate that full membership is conditional on the existence of women’s cricket teams and a pathway structure.

However, the men’s team is allowed to participate in ICC tournaments without any sanction.

Were there previous boycotts?

In January 2023, Australia withdrew from the men’s one-day series against Afghanistan, citing the Taliban’s decision to impose further restrictions on the education of women and girls.

The ACB described the decision as “unfair” and “pathetic”, and spinner Rashid Khan said he was considering his future in Australia’s franchise tournament, the Big Bash League.

Rashid was initially included in the Adelaide Strikers squad after making a U-turn following his boycott threat, but later withdrew due to a back injury.

Earlier this year, Australia canceled the T20 series against Afghanistan, citing the deteriorating human rights situation for women and girls in the Taliban-ruled country.

The ECB also maintained its stance of not scheduling any bilateral cricket matches against Afghanistan.

However, it is also important to note that Australia and England have played Afghanistan in World Cup matches over the past 18 months and have not extended their boycotts to global ICC tournaments, where both the risk and impact would be greater than a seemingly unprofitable bilateral series.

In 2003, Nasser Hussain’s England team lost a World Cup match against Zimbabwe in protest against Robert Mugabe’s regime, and then Prime Minister Tony Blair urged England not to go to Harare.

“We expressed our position very clearly [the players] no need to go […] I hope they will take our advice into consideration. Whether they do it or not is up to them,” Blair said at the time.

After the boycott, England lost points and was eliminated from the tournament.