England white-ball captain Jos Buttler has revealed his views on the issue of a potential boycott against Afghanistan ahead of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Jos Buttler said he does not believe a boycott is “the best way”, stating that political situations should not affect sport.
England are set to face Afghanistan in a Champions Trophy group stage match on February 26 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. However, the match sparked political controversy following a letter sent by Labor MP Tonia Antoniazzi to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
A group of over 160 members of parliament in England called on the ECB to boycott the match over the Taliban’s treatment of women in Afghanistan, citing ongoing “sex apartheid” and the exclusion of women from sport from 2021. Political pressure continues to mount ahead of the match.
The players didn’t really worry too much about it – Jos Buttler
Speaking in Kolkata ahead of the first T20I against India, Jos Buttler said the players were “not too worried about it” amid political pressure surrounding their upcoming game against Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy.
“The players didn’t really worry too much about it,” Buttler said. “On these things, you try to educate yourself and read about these things. There’s been good stuff written about it that I’ve gone into and I’ve talked to a lot of people to try and gather expert opinion.
“I’m guided by experts for these situations, but as a player, you don’t want political situations to affect the sport. Hopefully we’ll go to the Champions Trophy and play that game and have a really good tournament.”
Don’t think boycotting is the way to do it – Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler said he was in regular communication with the ECB and its members regarding the issue. Buttler stated that a boycott is not the right approach and remains optimistic that the match will go ahead as planned.
“In these political situations, as a player you try to be as informed as possible,” Buttler said. “The experts know a lot more about it, so I’ve been trying to stay in dialogue with Rob Key [ECB men’s managing director] and the guys above to see how they see it. I don’t think a boycott is the way to go.”
England’s cricketers faced a similar dilemma during the 2003 World Cup
England’s cricketers faced a similar dilemma during the 2003 World Cup. The Nasser Hussain-led team came under pressure to boycott their group stage match against Robert Mugabe-led Zimbabwe. England lost points for that match, which saw them eliminated.
ECB chief Richard Gould rejected calls to boycott the Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan. He stressed that the Taliban’s actions in Afghanistan had limited women’s rights, but the issue required a “coordinated response under the leadership of the ICC” rather than the actions of individual nations.
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