The ICC Champions Trophy 2025the famous international cricket tournament, scheduled to take place from February 19 to March 9, 2025, in a hybrid format hosted by Pakistan and United Arab Emirates. However, this incident has caused a lot of controversy because of the political situation Afghanistanespecially the Taliban's suppression of women's rights. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have been advised by British lawmakers to reconsider their participation in the games against Afghanistan that are scheduled to take place on February 26, 2025. The request follows the Taliban's strict bans on women's participation in sports and public life.
Impact of Taliban on Afghanistan Cricket
Since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in 2021, the government has enacted laws that prohibit women from participating in sports or sports. These actions have drawn widespread criticism from international organizations, including The International Cricket Council (ICC). The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has come under scrutiny for failing to comply with ICC rules that require women to participate in cricket development programmes. As a result, the participation of the Afghanistan national team in international competitions like the Champions Trophy has become a matter of great controversy.
Jos Buttler's response to the strike call
Considering the ongoing political pressure, the England captain, If Butlerhas expressed his opinion on the matter. Speaking candidly, Buttler acknowledged the challenges but emphasized that as a cricketer, he tries to get political information but relies on experts for information. He has been in contact with the ECB's men's manager Rob Key and others at the ECB to understand their views, and believe that a boycott is not the right way.
“Politics like this, as a player you're trying to find out as much as you can,” said Buttler. “The experts know a lot about it, so I've been trying to stay in touch with Rob Key and the guys above to see how they see it. I don't think a boycott is the way to go,Buttler said to a reporter ahead of time T20I vs India.
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The players were focused on sports and not politics
Buttler said the players are not too worried about political issues and focus more on their studies. He has read useful books and asked experts for their opinions. He stressed that the players do not want politics to affect the game and said they hope to win the Champions Trophy.
“The players were not too worried about this. You are trying to educate yourself and read up on these things. There are good things written about this that I've gone through and talked to a few people to try and get some expert opinions. As a gamer, you don't want political events to interfere with the game. We hope to go to the Champions Trophy and play this game and have a very good tournament,” he added.