England captain Buttler should be spared the decision to boycott Afghanistan Cricket news
Former England bowler Steve Harmison says the captain should not decide to boycott playing in Afghanistan.
England captain Jos Buttler must not be “thrown under the bus” amid mounting political pressure to boycott next month’s Champions Trophy cricket match against Afghanistan, according to former England international Steve Harmison.
A group of more than 160 British politicians have called on the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to refuse to play against Afghanistan in protest against the Taliban’s policy towards women’s sports.
Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have banned women from participating – a move that puts the Afghanistan Cricket Board at odds with International Cricket Council (ICC) rules.
The ICC has, however, allowed the Afghanistan men’s national team to continue competing in global competitions and England will face them in the one-day international Champions Trophy in Lahore on February 26.
ECB chief executive Richard Gould resisted calls for a boycott, saying he would “actively advocate” collective action by the ICC rather than England losing the game – a move that would likely see points deducted.
A spokesman for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has meanwhile called on the ICC to take the lead on the matter, but former England fast bowler Harmison fears the focus will be on Buttler.
Harmison was a member of the England squad that was called upon to boycott a match against co-hosts Zimbabwe in the 2003 ODI World Cup in protest against Robert Mugabe’s government.
England eventually refused to play the game following death threats, but only after captain Nasser Hussain led his side through several days of harrowing negotiations in Cape Town.
There are now reports that the ECB is concerned about possible security implications arising from a response to the boycott by Taliban supporters.
“One thing I will say is just please don’t throw Jos Buttler under the bus like Nasser was thrown under the bus,” former England fast bowler Harmison, 46, told the Global Player’s Sports Agents podcast.
“Nasser, he was not just thrown under the bus, he was overturned, overturned. Our lives were in danger. Sportsmen and women should not be politically engaged.
“Don’t put Jos in this position, he really doesn’t need it and the England cricket team doesn’t need it. If the ICC wants to go with Afghanistan, that’s their fight – it’s not the England captain’s fight.”
South Africa, who are also due to play Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy, are supported the position of the ECB.
This is despite veteran anti-apartheid campaigner and British politician Peter Hain, who played a key role in encouraging the sporting isolation of his native South Africa during the 1970s, calling for a boycott.
“We believe that a more unified and collective approach by all ICC members will be more effective,” Cricket South Africa president Rihan Richards said.
