 "England asked to boycott Afghanistan in Champions Trophy: Why ICC didn't ban Afghan men's team despite Taliban takeover")
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has come under heavy criticism for allowing the men’s national team to play against Afghanistan in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. The ECB has been accused of being "misogynistic" for letting their men’s team play against Afghanistan amid an unfair treatment of Afghan women under the Taliban regime, with broadcaster Piers Morgan and UK-based women’s rights group Women’s Rights Network among the critics.
The Afghanistan women’s cricket team was disbanded in 2021 after the Taliban captured Kabul and the country’s cricketers have been residing in exile in Australia since then. Girls in Afghanistan have also been banned from attending schools, universities, beauty salons, public parks, and gyms. One of the latest sanctions on Afghan women came last week when the Taliban banned windows overlooking areas that are used by women.
While the women have been banned from doing even the basic things in life, the men, including the national cricket team have not been given any such sanctions. In fact, Afghanistan reached the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup last year, where they lost to South Africa.
Why ICC did not kick out Afghanistan men’s team despite Taliban takeover
ICC regulations mandate that member nations support both men’s and women’s national cricket teams. When Afghanistan was granted full membership in 2017, an exemption was made, conditional on active efforts to develop women’s cricket. Prior to the Taliban’s return to power, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) had introduced central contracts for a group of women cricketers. However, the country now has no women’s team, yet they have not been pushed out by ICC. Why?
The answer can be derived from what former International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Greg Barclay said in the context of Australia boycotting bilateral matches against Afghanistan.
In March 2024, Australia cancelled a T20 series against Afghanistan due to concerns over women’s rights in the war-torn nation.
Barclay, before demitting the ICC office and being replaced by Jay Shah, said politics should be kept away from the sport. “If you want to make a political statement, don’t play them in a World Cup,” he told the UK’s Telegraph Sport. “Sure, it might cost you a semi-final place, but principles are principles. It’s not about having half a principle.”
When asked why the Afghanistan men’s team has not been kicked out yet, Barclay said that it was all about the country’s cricket board following a series of laws. “It would be easy to kick Afghanistan out, but their board haven’t done anything wrong. They’re just working under a decree and a series of laws that says this is what you have to do. I don’t think it would make a jot of difference to the ruling party there to kick them out.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“Maybe I’m a little naïve, but I think cricket is such a force for good there, and it brings a lot of joy to a lot of people. It is better to leave it there and hope that it can foster a bit of a change,” added Barclay. “It’s a real feel-good story – a sport that was played in the refugee camps 25 years ago and now they have played in a World Cup semi-final. Do you really want to turn the tap off?,” questioned Barclay, recalling Afghanistan’s run to the 2024 T20 World Cup semi-final.
The 2025 Champions Trophy, which will be played in a hybrid model , will get underway on 19 February, with a game between Pakistan and New Zealand in Karachi. India, who have been slotted in Group A with hosts Pakistan, New Zealand, and Bangladesh, will play all their matches in Dubai after their refusal to tour Pakistan due to security reasons. Apart from debutants Afghanistan and England, the other teams in Group B are Australia and South Africa.
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