Politicians and cricket boards are urging the International Cricket Council (ICC) to take a stance against Afghanistan due to the Taliban’s violations of women’s rights.
The situation is sensitive and complex with the England men’s team now being urged to boycott next month’s Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan and the ECB chair Richard Gould also writing to the ICC demanding change.
Here’s everything we know so far…
Why are there calls for a boycott?
England are set to face Afghanistan in Lahore on February 26 during the Champions Trophy but there have been various calls for the game to be boycotted.
This is because the Taliban’s violations of women’s rights in Afghanistan have steadily been getting worse, with one of the latest laws prohibiting women from speaking in public.
Boycotting games against the men’s team will draw much-needed attention to the plight of the women’s team while also setting a precedent for what the sport does not tolerate.
What is the background?
On August 15, 2021, the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan and women’s rights began to deteriorate quickly as they banned girls from schools and universities, and raided the homes of female athletes, some of whom were forced to burn their kits to avoid being identified.
This was not the first time that women’s rights came under the restrictions of the Taliban, they also ruled from 1996 until 2001, when they were ousted from power.
A ban on cricket was lifted by the Taliban in 2000 allowing for the sport to develop significantly.
In June 2017, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) persuaded the International Cricket Council (ICC) to award it full-member status, entitling the national men’s team to participate in official Test matches.
Despite failing to meet the criteria around women’s cricket, they were awarded their membership with the view progress would be made in that area.
In 2020, 25 women were awarded central contracts and were showcased in advertising campaigns by the national cricket board.
However, a year later, the women’s cricket team were forced to flee after the Taliban came back into power, seeking refuge in Pakistan before they were granted emergency visas for Australia, where most of them currently reside.
Under Taliban rule, payments to the women’s side were cut off and the team has received no contact from the ICC or ACB despite multiple attempts.
Who has spoken out?
Nobody from the Afghanistan men’s team has spoken out in support of their female counterparts.
However, various human rights organisations have spoken out over the years.
In 2023, Human Rights Watch called the situation in Afghanistan “a form of gender apartheid”.
What is happening in Afghanistan is a form of gender apartheid. It not only fails to uphold and support the rights of female athletes to play sport, but actually actively bans them. Athletes are living in fear of being beaten or jailed for simply participating in sport.
Last year, Amnesty International also weighed in urging the ICC to stop ignoring the women’s team and provide them with support, saying: “It’s horrendous that the cricket team had to flee for their safety, but it’s also extremely concerning that Afghan women cricketers feel so let down by the ICC and the international cricketing community.
“Having rightly pledged to uphold anti-discrimination values, the ICC needs to stop ignoring Afghanistan’s brave women’s team and set about providing them with proper recognition and support.”
England Women’s head coach Jon Lewis also expressed his support: “I think they should play. Everyone deserves the right to represent their country in any sport that they choose.
“The fact that they are being denied that, from my point of view, I don’t believe that’s the right decision.”
More recently, a group of more than 160 politicians, including Nigel Farage, Jeremy Corbyn and Lord Kinnock, signed a letter urging for England’s boycott.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called for the ICC to “deliver their own rules”, with the Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy saying the match “should go ahead” as not to penalise the England team, but suggested that British dignitaries should snub the event.
With pressure mounting on the ECB, its chief Richard Gould wrote to his ICC counterpart urging the sport’s global governing body to consider taking action against the Afghanistan Cricket Board.
What has the ICC done?
In 2021, the ICC established an Afghanistan Working Group to help influence change and monitor the situation in the country.
However, the entire board was all-male and had no representation from the Afghanistan women’s team.
Following a meeting in 2023, the cricket chiefs significantly raised Afghanistan’s budget while providing no update on the women’s team.
While the women’s team were living in exile, they were completely ignored by the ICC, with the governing body also not responding to Sky Sports’ requests for comment on the situation.
But now with politicians contributing to the discourse, an ICC spokesperson told Sky Sports News: “The ICC remains closely engaged with the situation in Afghanistan and continues to collaborate with our members.
“We are committed to leveraging our influence constructively to support the ACB in fostering cricket development and ensuring playing opportunities for both men and women in Afghanistan.
“The ICC has established an Afghanistan Cricket Task Force, chaired by deputy chairman Mr Imran Khwaja, who will lead the ongoing dialogue on this matter.”
ICC regulations state full membership is conditional upon having women’s cricket teams and pathway structures in place.
However, the men’s team has been allowed to participate in ICC tournaments without any sanctions.
Have there been previous boycotts?
In January 2023, Australia withdrew from a men’s one-day series against Afghanistan, citing the Taliban’s decision to impose further restrictions on women’s and girls’ education.
The ACB described the decision as “unfair” and “pathetic” with spinner Rashid Khan saying he was considering his future in Australia’s franchise tournament, the Big Bash League.
Rashid was initially included in the team for the Adelaide Strikers after making a U-turn on his boycott threat but later withdrew due to a back injury.
Earlier this year, Australia called off a T20 series against Afghanistan, citing a deteriorating human rights situation for women and girls in the Taliban-ruled country.
The ECB has also maintained its position of not scheduling any bilateral cricket matches against Afghanistan.
However, it is also important to note that Australia and England have played against 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 larger than a seemingly unprofitable bilateral series.
In 2003, Nasser Hussain’s England side forfeited a World Cup game against Zimbabwe in protest at Robert Mugabe’s regime, with then Prime Minister Tony Blair urging England not to go to Harare.
“We’ve expressed our view very clearly that [the players] should not go, […] I hope they take account of our advice. Whether they do so or not is a matter for them,” Blair said at the time.
Following the boycott, England were docked points and went out of the tournament.
Source : Sky Sports
