Downing Street has called on the International Cricket Council to “deliver on their own rules” as the England team resists pressure to boycott their forthcoming match against Afghanistan.
A cross-party group of over 160 MPs and peers have signed a letter urging the England and Wales Cricket Board to sit out next month’s fixture at the Champions Trophy in Lahore as a moral objection to the Taliban regime’s ongoing assault on women’s rights in the country.
ECB chief executive Richard Gould responded by saying he would “actively advocate” collective action rather than take a unilateral stand by forfeiting the game.
That stance has now received political backing from Number 10, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s official spokesman suggesting the onus remained with the sport’s governing body.
The terms of ICC membership have been directly breached by the abolition of women’s sport in Afghanistan, grounds for possible suspension, but their men’s have now been permitted to take a place in three global tournaments in the past 18 months.
“The ICC should clearly deliver on their own rules and make sure that they’re supporting women’s cricket as the ECB do,” said the PM’s spokesman.
“That’s why we support the fact that the ECB are making representations to the ICC on this issue.
“The erosion of women and girls’ rights by the Taliban is clearly appalling. We’ll work with the ECB on this issue, we’re in contact with them. Ultimately this is a matter for the ICC in relation to the Champions Trophy.
“We should remember that Afghanistani cricket for a long time has been a beacon of hope for the Afghanistani people, it’s terrible the way in which the women’s team has been suppressed.
1) Today I, alongside over 160 parliamentarians, have written to the England and Wales Cricket Board urging them to speak out against the Taliban's unconscionable oppression of women and girls and boycott their upcoming match against Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy. pic.twitter.com/C8Le4ytZW0
— Tonia Antoniazzi (@ToniaAntoniazzi) January 6, 2025
“This issue in relation to the erosion of women’s and girls’ rights by the Taliban is clearly a bigger issue than cricket. The focus here shouldn’t be on the cricketers, but on the Taliban.”
The letter penned by Labour backbencher Tonia Antoniazzi, and signed by two of the party’s former leaders Jeremy Corbyn and Lord Kinnock, read: “We urge the ECB to consider a boycott of the upcoming match against Afghanistan…to send a clear signal that such grotesque abuses will not be tolerated.
“We must stand against sex apartheid and we implore the ECB to deliver a firm message of solidarity and hope to Afghan women and girls that their suffering has not been overlooked.”
Gould responded by condemning the erosion of women’s rights and vowing to work with counterparts at home and overseas “to explore all possible avenues for meaningful change”.
As it stands, the game is set to take place as scheduled at the Gaddafi Stadium on February 26.
