Politicians and cricket boards are calling on the International Cricket Council (ICC) to take a stand against Afghanistan over women’s rights abuses by the Taliban.
The situation is sensitive and complicated, with the England men’s team now being called on to boycott next month’s Champions League tie against Afghanistan, with ECB president Richard Gould also writing to the ICC demanding changes.
Here’s everything we know so far…
Why are there calls for a boycott?
England are due to face Afghanistan in Lahore on February 26 in the Champions Trophy, but there have been various calls for a boycott of the game.
This is because the Taliban’s abuse of women’s rights in Afghanistan has steadily worsened, 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 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 rapidly deteriorate as they banned girls from schools and universities and raided the homes of female athletes, some of whom had to burn their tracksuits to avoid detection.
This is not the first time that women’s rights have come under the restrictions of the Taliban, who also ruled from 1996 until 2001, when they were removed from power.
The ban on cricket was lifted by the Taliban in 2000, allowing the sport to grow significantly.
Afghanistan women’s cricket team granted emergency visas and most of them now living in Australia
In June 2017, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) convinced the International Cricket Council (ICC) to grant it full member status, allowing the men’s national team to play official test matches.
Despite not meeting the criteria for women’s cricket, they received their membership with a view to making progress in the field.
In 2020, 25 women were awarded central contracts and featured in national cricket advertising campaigns.
However, a year later, the women’s cricket team was forced to flee after the Taliban returned, seeking refuge in Pakistan before being granted emergency visas for Australia, where most of them currently reside.
Under Taliban rule, payments by the women have been stopped and the team has received no communication from the ICC or ACB despite multiple attempts.
Who spoke up?
No one from the Afghanistan men’s team came out in support of their female counterparts.
However, various human rights organizations have spoken out over the years.
2023 Human Rights Watch called the situation “A form of gender apartheid” in Afghanistan.
What is happening in Afghanistan is a form of gender apartheid. Not only does it not protect and support the rights of female athletes to participate in sports, it actually actively prohibits them.
last year, Amnesty International also weighed in calling on the ICC to stop ignoring the women’s team “It is appalling that the cricket team has had to flee for their safety, but it is also extremely worrying that the Afghan women cricketers feel so let down by the ICC and the international cricket community.
“Rightly pledging to uphold anti-discrimination values, the ICC must stop ignoring the brave team of women in Afghanistan and begin to give them due recognition and support.”
England women’s team head coach John Lewis also expressed his support. “I think they should play. Everyone deserves to represent their country in whatever sport they choose.
“The fact that they are denying that, from my point of view, I don’t think it is the right decision.”
Recently, a group of over 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 “issue their own rules” and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the game “must go ahead” to avoid punishing England, but suggested senior British officials should reject the event.
With pressure mounting on the ECB, its boss Richard Gould wrote to his ICC counterpart urging the sport’s world governing body to consider taking action against the Afghanistan Cricket Board.
What did the ICC do?
In 2021, the ICC established an Afghanistan task force to help influence change and monitor the situation in the country.
However, the board was made up entirely of men and had no representation from the Afghanistan women’s national team.
After the match in 2023, cricket chiefs have significantly increased Afghanistan’s budget while not giving any updates on the women’s team.
While the women’s team lived in exile, they were completely ignored by the ICC and the governing body did not respond either. Sky Sports’ requests for comment on the situation.
Afghan female athletes’ homes raided by Taliban, some forced to burn their tracksuits
But now that politicians are promoting the discourse, said the ICC spokesperson Sky Sports News“The ICC remains closely involved with the situation in Afghanistan and continues to cooperate with our members.
“We are committed to using our influence constructively to support the ACB to promote the development of cricket and ensure playing opportunities for men and women in Afghanistan.
“The ICC has established a working group on Afghanistan cricket under the chairmanship of Vice President Mr. Imran Khawaja to lead the ongoing dialogue on this matter.”
ICC regulations state that full membership is conditional on the existence of women’s cricket teams and track facilities.
The men’s team, however, was allowed to participate in ICC tournaments without any sanctions.
Have there been boycotts before?
Nasser Hussain’s England team in 2003 after the boycott against Zimbabwe.
In January 2023, Australia pulled out of the men’s one-day series against Afghanistan, citing the Taliban’s decision to place further restrictions on women’s and girls’ education.
The ACB termed 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 Adelaide Strikers squad after making a U-turn due to his boycott threat, but later withdrew due to a back injury.
Earlier this year, Australia canceled the T20 series against Afghanistan, citing the deteriorating 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 boycott to international ICC tournaments, where both the risk and the impact may 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, with then Prime Minister Tony Blair urging England not to travel to Harare.
“We have expressed our view very clearly that (the players) should not go, (…) I hope they will take our advice into account. Whether they do it or not is their problem,” he said Blair then.
After the boycott, England were awarded points and eliminated from the tournament.
