England's match against Afghanistan in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy is in jeopardy due to the Taliban government's restrictions on women in the country. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) was asked to boycott the match against Afghanistan.
Afghanistan's ruling government, the Taliban, has been heavily criticized for its restrictions on women's rights. Since they took over the country in 2021, women and girls have been deprived of their rights.
Schools were closed and women's higher education was compromised due to the closure of girls' colleges. While some of the women have managed to leave the country to seek asylum in different countries, others still face hardship.
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England's Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan in jeopardy
Around 160 members of the British parliament have called on the ECB to pull out of England's Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan because of the restrictions and atrocities they have brought on women since they took over the country.
Great Britain has two parliamentary houses known as the House of Commons and the House of Lords. This included UK reform leader Nigel Farage and former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn. Both called on the board “to speak out against the horrific treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban.”
The Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021, when US troops left the country after two decades there. Since then, women have been banned from any kind of education and sports.
The country's women's cricket team was also destabilized with the Taliban takeover. It violates the International Cricket Council (ICC) regulations governing cricket boards, which require all full members to have a women's team. Afghanistan is the only full member that does not currently have a women's team.
ECB Executive Director for Taliban Atrocities
ECB chief executive Richard Gould condemned the treatment of women under the Taliban regime. He also claims to have maintained the ECB's stance of not scheduling any bilateral series against Afghanistan.
“The ECB strongly condemns the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime. The ICC constitution requires all member nations to be committed to the growth and development of women's cricket,” said Gould.
“In line with this commitment, the ECB has maintained its position not to schedule any bilateral cricket matches against Afghanistan,” he added.
The schedule of the match
England's match against Afghanistan is scheduled to be played in Lahore on February 26. Both teams are drawn in Group B alongside Australia and South Africa. The other group includes Bangladesh, India, New Zealand and hosts Pakistan.
Champions Trophy 2025 will be played in Pakistan and UAE. All teams except India will play their matches in Pakistan. India will not travel to Pakistan and will host all their matches in the UAE. If India manage to qualify for the qualifiers, they will play in Dubai.