Politicians and cricket boards are calling on the International Cricket Council (ICC) to take a stand against Afghanistan over the Taliban's abuse of women's rights.
The situation is sensitive and complex with the England men's team now being called to boycott next month's Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan and ECB president Richard Gould also writing to the ICC demanding a change.
Here's everything we know so far…
Why are there calls for a boycott?
England will face Afghanistan in Lahore on February 26 during the Champions Trophy, but there have been various calls for the game to be boycotted.
That's because the Taliban's violations of women's rights in Afghanistan continue to worsen, with one of the latest laws banning women from speaking in public.
Boycotting a game against the men's team will bring much-needed attention to the plight of the women's team, while also setting a precedent for what the sport will not tolerate.
What is the background?
On August 15, 2021, the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan and women's rights began to rapidly deteriorate as they banned girls from attending schools and universities, and raided the homes of female athletes, some of whom were forced to burn their kits in order to avoid being identified.
This was not the first time that women's rights were restricted by the Taliban, who also ruled from 1996 to 2001, when they were ousted from power.
The Taliban lifted the ban on cricket in 2000, which allowed the sport to develop significantly.
Afghanistan's women's cricket team has been granted emergency visas and most of them are now living in Australia
In June 2017, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) convinced the International Cricket Council (ICC) to grant it full member status, allowing the men's national team to participate in official Test matches.
Despite not meeting the criteria for women's cricket, they were awarded membership with the view that progress would be made in that area.
In 2020, 25 women were given central contracts and the national cricket board featured them in advertising campaigns.
However, a year later, the women's cricket team was forced to flee after the Taliban returned to power, seeking refuge in Pakistan before obtaining emergency visas for Australia, where most of them currently live.
Under Taliban rule, payments to the women's side were stopped and the team received no contact from the ICC or ACB despite repeated attempts.
Who spoke?
No one from the Afghanistan men's team spoke out in support of their female counterparts.
However, various human rights organizations have spoken out over the years.
in 2023 Human Rights Watch called the situation in Afghanistan “a form of gender apartheid”.
What is happening in Afghanistan is a form of gender apartheid. Not only does it not support and endorse the rights of female athletes to play sports, it actually actively prohibits them. Athletes live in fear of being beaten or imprisoned for simply participating in sports.
last year, Amnesty International also weighed in calling on the ICC to stop ignoring the women's team and offer their support, saying: “It's terrible that the cricket team had to flee for their safety, but it's also extremely worrying that Afghanistan's women cricketers feel so let down by the ICC and the international cricket community.
“Having rightly pledged to uphold anti-discrimination values, the ICC must stop ignoring Afghanistan's brave women's team and move to provide appropriate recognition and support.”
The head coach of England, Jon Lewis, also expressed his support: “I think they should play.” Everyone deserves the right to represent their country in any sport they choose.
“The fact that they're being denied that, from my point of view, I don't believe it's the right decision.”
Recently, a group of more than 160 politicians, including Nigel Farage, Jeremy Corbyn and Lord Kinnock, signed a letter calling for a boycott of England.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called on the ICC to “submit its rules” and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the match “should go ahead” so as not to penalize England, but suggested British dignitaries should boycott the event .
With mounting pressure on the ECB, its boss Richard Gould wrote to his colleague at the ICC urging the sport's global governing body to consider taking action against the Afghanistan Cricket Board.
What did the ICC do?
In 2021, the ICC established a Task Force on Afghanistan to help influence change and monitor the situation in the country.
However, the entire committee was all-male and had no representatives from the Afghanistan women's team.
After the 2023 meeting, cricket chiefs raised Afghanistan's budget significantly without providing an update on the women's team.
While the women's team lived in exile, the ICC completely ignored them, and the governing body also failed to respond to Sky Sports' requests for comment on the situation.
The Taliban raided the homes of Afghan female athletes, and some of them were forced to burn their jerseys
But now with politicians contributing to the discourse, an ICC spokesman said Sky Sports News: “The ICC remains closely connected to the situation in Afghanistan and continues to cooperate with our members.”
“We are committed to using our influence constructively to support the ACB in driving the development of cricket and ensuring playing opportunities for both men and women in Afghanistan.
“The ICC has established an Afghanistan Cricket Working Group, chaired by Deputy Chairman Mr. Imran Khwaja, to conduct an ongoing dialogue on the issue.”
ICC regulations state that full membership is conditional on the existence of women's cricket teams and track structures.
However, the men's national team is allowed to participate in ICC tournaments without any sanctions.
Have there been previous boycotts?
Nasser Hussain's England dropped points in 2003 after a boycott against Zimbabwe
In January 2023, Australia pulled out of the men's one-day series against Afghanistan, citing the Taliban's decision to impose further restrictions on the education of women and girls.
The ACB described the decision as “unfair” and “pathetic”, and spinner Rashid Khan said he was considering his future in Australia's franchise tournament, the Big Bash League.
Rashid was originally included in the squad for the Adelaide Strikers after reversing his boycott threat, but later withdrew due to a back injury.
Earlier this year, Australia canceled the T20 series against Afghanistan, citing the worsening human rights situation for women and girls in the Taliban-ruled country.
The ECB also stood by its stance of not scheduling any bilateral cricket matches against Afghanistan.
However, it is also important to note that Australia and England have played Afghanistan in World Cup matches in the last 18 months and have not extended their boycotts to global ICC tournaments, where both the risk and the impact would be greater than a seemingly unprofitable bilateral series.
In 2003, Nasser Hussain's England side canceled a World Cup match against Zimbabwe in protest against Robert Mugabe's regime, and then Prime Minister Tony Blair urged England not to go to Harare.
“We have made our position very clear that (the players) should not leave, (…) I hope they will take our advice into account. Whether they do it or not is their business,” Blair said at the time.
After the boycott, England were awarded points and knocked out of the tournament.