Following concerns raised by UK politicians, Keir Starmer backs the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) position on a coordinated ICC response rather than unilateral action
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called on the International Cricket Council (ICC) to “deliver on their own rules” regarding women’s rights in Afghanistan, amidst growing pressure over England’s upcoming Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan. The match, scheduled for February 26 in Lahore, is under scrutiny after over 160 UK politicians, including prominent figures like Jeremy Corbyn and Nigel Farage, signed a letter urging the England Cricket Board (ECB) to boycott the match.
The letter condemned the Taliban regime’s oppressive policies toward women and girls in Afghanistan, where women’s sports have been banned since the Taliban regained power in 2021. It called for England’s men’s team to speak out against the regime’s human rights abuses and to boycott the match as a show of solidarity with Afghan women.
In response, ECB Chief Executive Richard Gould rejected the call for a boycott, emphasizing that the issue of women’s rights in Afghanistan should be addressed through a coordinated, ICC-led approach, rather than through unilateral actions by individual countries. Starmer and Downing Street have echoed this stance, supporting the ECB’s efforts to engage the ICC on the matter.
Embed from Getty Images“The erosion of women’s and girls’ rights by the Taliban is clearly appalling,” a Downing Street spokesperson said, backing the ECB’s diplomatic efforts. “We support the fact that the ECB is making representations to the ICC on this issue.”
This situation brings to mind a similar dilemma faced by England’s cricket team during the 2003 World Cup, when the team was urged to boycott a match against Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe’s regime. That boycott was left to the players and resulted in the forfeiture of points, which impacted England’s qualification.
While the ECB continues to condemn the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls, it has maintained that it will not engage in bilateral cricket matches with Afghanistan as long as the Taliban is in power. However, the ECB insists that participation in ICC events is a matter for the governing body, not individual members.
“We acknowledge and respect the diverse perspectives on this global issue,” Gould said in his letter. “It is crucial to recognise the importance of cricket as a source of hope for many Afghans, including those displaced from the country.”
