World cricket bosses have no plans to ban Afghanistan’s men from the Champions Trophy or to demand the Taliban allow a women’s team to represent the country, Sky News has learned.
With the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) own policy requiring Test-playing nations to support women’s cricket, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is backing calls for the sport’s global governing body to “deliver on their own rules”.
Downing Street’s intervention on Tuesday followed more than 160 MPs and peers asking the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to boycott their match against Afghanistan at the ICC’s 50-over tournament next month.
And those boycott calls were backed today by South Africa sports minister Gayton McKenzie with his country also scheduled to play Afghanistan in the same group as England.
But Cricket South Africa responded by saying: “The position on Afghanistan must be guided by the world body in accordance with international tournament participation requirements and regulations.”
The concern is the ICC is allowing a breach of its own rules since women and girls have been banned from sports since the Taliban returned to power in 2021 and clamped down on rights, with female faces and bodies having to be covered.
But Sky News understands the ICC intends to try to ultimately influence the Taliban to allow women’s cricket – using sport to deliver change – rather than penalising Afghanistan.
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Why people want cricket match boycotted
The ICC is understood to have adopted a view privately that male players should not be punished for the Afghanistan government’s policies, believing its member association cannot control the Taliban’s position.
The ICC accepted Afghanistan as a full member in 2017 despite not complying with its constitution by having a women’s cricket programme, and accepting religious reasons in the Muslim nation.
But the Afghanistan Cricket Board did award central contracts to 25 female players in 2020 to form a team “adhering to the traditional Afghan and Islamic values”.
With the Taliban regaining control of the country in 2021 and restricting the rights of women and girls, the planned international women’s match never happened.
The ICC has an Afghanistan group examining the situation in an attempt to use the country’s most popular sport to encourage a restoration of women’s rights.
An ICC spokesperson told Sky 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 Afghanistan Cricket Board (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.”
The Taliban banned Afghan women from playing sports in 2021. Pic: AP
But the ICC, which made no official available for interview, has been criticised by Afghan women’s sports campaigners.
“I’m very disappointed and I am very sad as a woman of Afghanistan, as an athlete,” former Afghanistan women’s football captain Khalida Popal told Sky News.
“The governing bodies are not showing leadership. We are talking about more than three and half years about the situation of Afghanistan.
“But the governing bodies of sports, they have failed. They have failed to take action. They have failed to stand by their own policies and statutes.
“There has been a black and white gender discrimination in sport, and they have ignored the women of Afghanistan.”
FIFA, which is still allowing Afghanistan’s men to compete internationally, is also under pressure to seek a restoration of women’s football having helped to evacuate players in 2021 during the Taliban takeover.
Other national associations have been banned for government interference in their running.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has pledged to “find solutions” but said “political, social and religious contexts in different parts of the world are sometimes beyond our ability to influence”.
FIFA’s position has influenced the approach of cricket bosses in resisting making demands and threatening to punish Afghanistan.
But Ms Popal said: “We want them to stand with the women of Afghanistan – to make a strong statement and send a positive message to the women of Afghanistan – that sports will never accept discrimination and exclusion of half of the population.”
More from Sky News:
The struggle for equality in Afghanistan
How Afghan women are dreaming big
Taliban bans women from national park
The England and Wales Cricket Board refuses to organise any bilateral men’s matches against Afghanistan but wants a uniform approach from all countries when it comes to a decision on whether to boycott ICC tournament matches.
Both the ECB and Cricket South Africa condemned the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls.
Mr McKenzie, who serves in South Africa’s government, said: “It is not for me as the sports minister to make the final decision on whether South Africa should honour cricketing fixtures against Afghanistan.
“If it was my decision, then it certainly would not happen.
“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.”