England captain Jos Buttler has revealed his position on the issue of a potential boycott against Afghanistan ahead of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Jos Buttler said he does not believe a boycott is “the way forward”, saying the political situations do not should influence the sport.
England are set to face Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy group stage on February 26 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. However, the match sparked political controversy following a letter to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) from Labor MP Tonia Antoniazzi.
A group of more than 160 MPs in England called on the ECB to boycott the match over the Taliban's treatment of women in Afghanistan, announcing ongoing “sexual apartheid” and the exclusion of women from sport from 2021. Political pressure continues to mount ahead of the match .
The players didn't worry too much about it – Jos Buttler
Speaking in Kolkata ahead of the first T20I against India, Jos Buttler said the players were “not too worried about it” amid political pressure over their match against Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy.
“The players didn't worry too much about it,” Buttler said. “These things, you try to educate yourself and read about these things. There's been some good stuff written about them that I've used and talked to quite a few people to try and gather expert opinions.
“I am led by those experts in such situations, but as a player, you don't want political situations to affect the sport. We hope to go to the Champions Trophy and play that game and have a very good tournament.”
Don't think a boycott is the way to do it – Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler said he had been in regular communication with the ECB and its members on the issue. Buttler said a boycott was not the right approach and remained optimistic the match would go ahead as planned.
“In political situations like this, as a player you try to be as informed as possible,” Buttler said. “The experts know a lot more about it, so I've been trying to stay in dialogue with (ECB men's managing director) Rob Key and the guys above to see how they see it. I don't think a boycott is the way to go about it.”
England's cricketers faced a similar dilemma during the 2003 World Cup
England cricketers faced a similar dilemma during the 2003 World Cup. The team, led by Nasser Hussain, was pressured to boycott their group stage match against Zimbabwe, who were under the leadership of Robert Mugabe. England forfeited the points for that match, leading to their elimination.
ECB chief Richard Gould rejected calls for a boycott game against Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy. He stressed that the Taliban's actions in Afghanistan had restricted women's rights, but the problem required a “coordinated response, led by the ICC”, rather than action by individual nations.
Read also: Jos Buttler is openly attacking BCCI over strict family policies for Indian cricketers