Over 160 British parliamentarians have urged the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to withdraw from the upcoming Champions Trophy fixture against Afghanistan, protesting the Taliban government’s restrictions on women’s rights.
Members from both parliamentary chambers, the House of Commons and House of Lords, which included Reform UK’s leader Nigel Farage and former Labour party chief Jeremy Corbyn, urged the ECB “to speak out against the horrific treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban.”
Since the Taliban’s resumption of control in 2021, women have been effectively barred from participating in sports, which violates the International Cricket Council‘s (ICC) regulations governing cricket boards.
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ECB’s Chief Executive Richard Gould advocates for a coordinated stance amongst all member countries as the most effective strategy moving ahead.
“The ECB strongly condemns the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime,” he said.
“The ICC Constitution mandates that all member nations are committed to the growth and development of women’s cricket. In line with this commitment, the ECB has maintained its position of not scheduling any bilateral cricket matches against Afghanistan.
“While there has not been a consensus on further international action within the ICC, the ECB will continue to actively advocate for such measures. A coordinated, ICC-wide approach would be significantly more impactful than unilateral actions by individual members.”
England are scheduled to play against Afghanistan in Lahore on February 26.
The Champions Trophy, which is returning to the ICC calendar for the first time since 2017, will be hosted by Pakistan in a hybrid model, with India to play all their matches in Dubai.