More than 160 politicians have demanded from the England Cricket Board (ECB) that the England team should boycott the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 while playing against Afghanistan. These leaders believe that England should raise its voice against the restrictions imposed by the Taliban on women and women’s cricket. Hundreds of UK politicians have signed a letter urging the ECB to boycott the ODI in Lahore, Pakistan on February 26.
The letter said women’s participation in sports has been effectively outlawed in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power, which is a breach of International Cricket Council (ICC) rules. However, the ICC has not yet imposed any restrictions on the Afghanistan Cricket Board. In the letter, an appeal has been made to the players and officials of the England men’s team to raise their voice against the ill-treatment of women under Taliban rule.
Labor MP Tonia Antoniazzi The letter, written by, includes the names of leaders like Nigel Farage and Jeremy Corbyn, who have highlighted the situation in Afghanistan as a “devastated country”. The letter said the ECB should send a message of solidarity and hope to Afghan women and girls.
However, if the ECB boycotts the match against Afghanistan, it will not be the first case. In the 2003 Cricket World Cup, England had forfeited a match against Zimbabwe, but this time the board’s stance is soft. The ECB told Sky News that there is pressure on the board, but they cannot give a forfeit, as the match against Afghanistan is one of their league matches and if the team loses the first match, its chances of reaching the semi-finals will be difficult.
It is also noteworthy that Australia has also not played a bilateral series with Afghanistan due to Taliban’s anti-women rules, but both the countries play against each other in ICC events. In such a situation, England has also decided not to play bilateral series against Afghanistan, but a match in the ICC Champions Trophy is possible.
