International cricket bosses are resisting calls to ban Afghanistan from the Champions Trophy, Sky News | learns World news

World cricket bosses have no plans to ban Afghanistan's men from the Champions Trophy or demand the Taliban allow a women's team to represent the country, Sky News has learned.

With the International Cricket Council's (ICC) own policy requiring Test nations to support women's cricket, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer supports the call for the sport's global governing body to “enforce their own rules”.

Downing Street's intervention on Tuesday followed a request from more than 160 MPs and peers to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to postpone their match against Afghanistan at the ICC 50-over tournament next month.

And these calls for a boycott were today supported by South African Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie, who is also playing with his country against Afghanistan in the same group as England.

But Cricket South Africa responded by saying: “The position on Afghanistan should be guided by the world body in accordance with the requirements and regulations for participation in international tournaments.”

The concern is that the ICC is allowing violations of its own rules because women and girls have been banned from sports since the Taliban returned to power in 2021 and imposed restrictions on rights requiring female faces and bodies to be covered.

But Sky News understands the ICC intends to exert influence eventually the Taliban to allow women's cricket – using sport to bring about change – instead of punishing Afghanistan.

The ICC is said to have privately taken the position that male players should not be punished for the policies of the Afghan government, believing that the affiliated association has no control over the position of the Taliban.

The ICC accepted Afghanistan as a full member in 2017 despite breaching the constitution by having a women's cricket program and accepting religious reasons in the Muslim country.

But the Afghanistan Cricket Board did award central contracts to 25 female players in 2020 to form a team “that adheres to traditional Afghan and Islamic values”.

With the Taliban regaining control of the country in 2021 and restricting the rights of women and girls, the planned international women's competition never took place.

The ICC is commissioning an Afghan group to investigate the situation in a bid to use the country's most popular sport to promote the restoration of women's rights.

An ICC spokesperson told Sky News: “The ICC remains closely involved in the situation in Afghanistan and continues to work with our members.

“We are committed to using our influence constructively to support the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in promoting cricket development and ensuring playing opportunities for both men and women in Afghanistan.

“The ICC has established an Afghanistan Cricket Task Force, chaired by Vice-Chairman Mr Imran Khwaja, which will lead the ongoing dialogue on this issue.”

But the ICC, which has not made an official available for interviews, has been criticized by Afghan women's sports activists.

“I am very disappointed and very sad as a woman of Afghanistan, as an athlete,” former Afghanistan women's football captain Khalida Popal told Sky News.

“The governing bodies are not showing leadership. We will be talking about the situation in Afghanistan in more than three and a half years.

But the sport's governing bodies have failed. They have failed to take action. They have failed to adhere to their own policies and statutes.

“There is gender discrimination between black and white in sports, and they have ignored the women of Afghanistan.”

FIFA, which continues to allow Afghan men to compete internationally, is also under pressure to push for the restoration of women's football after helping to evacuate players during the Taliban takeover in 2021.

Other national associations are banned due to government interference in their operation.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has pledged to “find solutions” but said that “political, social and religious contexts in different parts of the world are sometimes beyond our ability to influence”.

FIFA's position has influenced the approach of cricket bosses in resisting making demands and threatening punishment against Afghanistan.

But Ms Popal said: “We want them to stand with the women of Afghanistan – make a strong statement and send a positive message to the women of Afghanistan – that sport will never accept discrimination and exclusion of half the population. ”

More from Sky News:
The fight for equality in Afghanistan
How Afghan women dream big
Taliban bans women from national park

The England and Wales Cricket Board is refusing to organize bilateral men's matches against Afghanistan, but wants a uniform approach from all countries when it comes to deciding whether to boycott ICC tournament matches.

Both the ECB and Cricket South Africa condemned the Taliban's treatment of women and girls.

McKenzie, a member of the South African government, said: “It is not for me as Minister of Sports to make the final decision on whether South Africa should honor cricket matches against Afghanistan.

“If it was my decision, it certainly wouldn't happen.

“As a man who comes from a race that was denied equal access to sporting opportunities during Apartheid, it would be hypocritical and immoral to look the other way today when the same is being done to women everywhere.”