South Africa’s sports minister Gayton McKenzie has called on the country’s national men’s team not to play against Afghanistan at next month’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan for them to “take a firm stand in solidarity with the women” of the troubled Asian country. Gayton McKenzie‘s view follows urging by more than 160 UK politicians – including figures as disparate as the left-wing Jeremy Corbyn and the right-wing Nigel Farage – for England to boycott their Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan in Lahore on February 26.
On Wednesday, nearly 160 UK politicians wrote to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) urging them to boycott the group fixture against Afghanistan to be played in Lahore. This led to Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling on the ICC to follow its own rules, which make it mandatory for any full member that fails to field men’s and women’s teams to be suspended.
Politicians urge ECB to boycott England’s Champions Trophy game vs Afghanistan as Sir Keir Starmer calls for ICC decision
The England and Wales Cricket Board has been urged to boycott next month’s Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan, although UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has called for the International Cricket Council to “deliver their own rules”. A group of more than 160 politicians, including Nigel Farage, Jeremy Corbyn and Lord Kinnock, have signed a letter encouraging England to shun the game in Lahore on February 26 and take a stand against the Taliban regime’s assault on women’s rights.
Female participation in sport has effectively been outlawed since their return to power in 2021, a move that puts the Afghanistan Cricket Board in direct contravention of the rules of cricket’s governing body, the ICC.
ECB chief executive Richard Gould responded to the letter, which was penned by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, saying that “a coordinated, ICC-wide approach would be significantly more impactful than unilateral actions by individual members.”
That stance has been backed by Downing Street with the PM’s spokesman saying: “The ICC should clearly deliver on their own rules and make sure that they’re supporting women’s cricket as the ECB do. ECB chief executive Richard Gould has said that while its policy on bilaterals continues to be the same, it will be playing Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy as the tournament is an ICC event.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is 40 days away, but the controversies are taking no stopping, as the South Africa Sports Minister, Gayton McKenzie, is the latest person to join the boycott movement of the mega event.
South Africa’s sports minister Gayton McKenzie wants Proteas to boycott 2025 Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan
Pakistan Cricket Board is under huge pressure of delivering the infrastructure of the stadiums in-time, but the latest issue does not revolve around the infrastructure, rather, it is a movement in concern with Women’s Cricket.
The Taliban Government has banned the Women’s Cricket and all of their sports in their country, and Gayton McKenzie has urged his compatriots to boycott the match against Afghanistan for the same reason. The statement comes in as a protest against Afghanistan, and not the entire tournament, which is being co-hosted by Pakistan and UAE.
South Africa’s sports minister Gayton McKenzie has urged the men’s cricket team to boycott their match against Afghanistan in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Gayton McKenzie request comes on the back of the Taliban government’s ban on women’s sports in Afghanistan. They had also disbanded the Afghanistan women’s cricket team after coming into power.
South Africa are set to face Afghanistan in their group-stage clash of the Champions Trophy on February 21. Gayton McKenzie said that while the decision was not his to make, he would not let the Proteas play Afghanistan if it was his call.
“It is not for me as the sports minister to make the final decision on whether South Africa should honor cricketing fixtures against Afghanistan. If it was my decision, then it certainly would not happen,” he was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
“As a man who comes from a race that was not allowed 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 towards women anywhere in the world,” he added.
The South African sports minister, terming the International Cricket Council (ICC) as “hypocrite,” noted that they had suspended Sri Lanka for their government’s interference. However, no such action was taken in Afghanistan’s case.
“This does not happen in the case of Afghanistan, suggesting that political interference in the administration of sport is being tolerated there,” he said.
He further added that the cricket boards of other nations, along with the ICC, needed to stand in solidarity with the women of Afghanistan. He said:
“Cricket South Africa, the federations of other countries and the ICC will have to think carefully about the message the sport of cricket wishes to send the world, and especially the women in sports. I hope that the consciences of all those involved in cricket, including the supporters, players and administrators, will take a firm stand in solidarity with the women of Afghanistan.”
This is not the first instance where a cricket board has been asked to boycott Afghanistan in the upcoming Champions Trophy. Before South Africa, the England Cricket Board (ECB) was also put under pressure to not let their men’s team play Afghanistan.
Over 160 British politicians wrote a letter to the ECB, urging them to boycott their clash against Afghanistan in the upcoming ICC event. England are set to take on Afghanistan in one of their group-stage matches in Lahore.
However, ECB chief Richard Gould rejected the calls. Gould stated that the ECB will not participate in any bilateral matches with Afghanistan but cannot pull out from playing against them in an ICC event.
Australia have a policy of not fulfilling bilateral fixtures against Afghanistan while continuing to play them in tournaments. The teams are due to meet in Lahore on February 28. South Africa are due to play Afghanistan in their opening match of the Champions Trophy in Karachi on February 21.