England boycotts Afghanistan cricket team

ISLAMABAD: The England Cricket Board has once again made it clear that England will not play any bilateral cricket series against Afghanistan.

The English board has attributed the decision to the restrictions imposed on women and girls by the Taliban government. ECB Chairman Richard Thompson said that keeping women out of education, sports and public life in Afghanistan is gender discrimination, which is against the spirit and principles of international sport.

He said that maintaining normal cricketing ties with Afghanistan in such circumstances would be tantamount to ignoring human rights issues.

It should be noted that Cricket Australia has also canceled the bilateral series against Afghanistan after the Taliban came to power, however, England played a match against Afghanistan in the ICC Champions Trophy last year because it was a global tournament and withdrawal from it could have faced sanctions.

On the other hand, Afghanistan’s failure to form a women’s cricket team is also raising questions about the rules of the International Cricket Council (ICC), as it is considered mandatory for full member countries to establish a women’s cricket structure.

Meanwhile, England has also announced its 2026 schedule, under which the team will play home series against New Zealand, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.