Champions Trophy 2025: Cricket South Africa refuses to boycott Afghanistan match, UK minister urges England to play

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has confirmed that they will not be boycotting the match against Afghanistan in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 despite calls from veteran anti-apartheid activist and the country’s sports minister to boycott the game over Taliban banning women’s sports teams in its country. Meanwhile, a British government minister has asked the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to go ahead with their match against Afghanistan to avoid penalizing the wrong people.

British Member of Parliament Lord Peter Hain had recently written a letter to CSA CEO Pholetsi Moseki, asking to protest against the 21 February Afghanistan match with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and reminded him of how the Taliban has cut down on the rights of women sportspersons in its country.

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South African sports minister Gayton McKenzie on Thursday said while he doesn’t have the power to boycott the game, he feels that is the right thing to do.

“It is not for me as the sports minister to make the final decision on whether South Africa should honor cricketing fixtures against Afghanistan. If it was my decision, then it certainly would not happen,” McKenzie said in a statement.

“As a man who comes from a race that was not allowed equal access to sporting opportunities during apartheid, it would be hypocritical and immoral to look the other way today when the same is being done towards women anywhere in the world.”

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South Africa cricket board rejects calls to boycott Afghanistan

Similar to the ECB, Cricket South Africa said ICC must take a call on Afghanistan’s participation in the tournament.

“As the Champions Trophy is an ICC event, the position on Afghanistan must be guided by the world body in accordance with international tournament participation requirements and regulations," the CSA said in a statement on Friday.

“CSA finds the treatment and suppression of women’s rights in Afghanistan abhorrent and firmly believes that women’s cricket deserves equal recognition and resources, an area in which CSA’s record on women’s cricket in South Africa speaks for itself," the statement added.

Also Read | Why England, South Africa are not boycotting Afghanistan

CSA president Rihan Richards said a “unified and collective” approach is needed to uphold “Women’s cricket in Afghanistan and influence meaningful change in that country.”

“We are of the view that a more unified and collective approach from all ICC members will be more impactful,” Richards said in a statement.

“CSA is committed and will continue to engage in constructive dialogue with the ICC and other members to find a solution that upholds Women’s cricket in Afghanistan and influence meaningful change in that country.”

Britain minister wants ENG vs AFG to go ahead

In England, Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport, said that England’s match against Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy 2025 should go ahead as they would not want to penalize Afghanistan cricketers for the actions of the Taliban.

“I do think it should go ahead,” Nandy told the BBC on Friday. “I’m instinctively very cautious about boycotts in sports, partly because I think they’re counterproductive.

“I think they deny sports fans the opportunity that they love, and they can also very much penalise the athletes and the sports people who work very, very hard to reach the top of their game, and then they’re denied the opportunities to compete.

“They are not the people that we want to penalise for the appalling actions of the Taliban against women and girls.”

Nandy’s reaction comes after the ECB was urged by 160 British politicians, in a signed letter, to boycott the 26 February match against Afghanistan.

Since regaining power in 2021, the Taliban have banned women from participating in sports, a decision that conflicts with ICC regulations. Despite this, the ICC has permitted Afghanistan’s men’s cricket team to compete in international tournaments.