Sharron Davies has backed a call by nearly 200 parliamentarians for England to boycott the game (Image: Getty)
England's cricket chiefs are facing a chorus of protest to “do the right thing” and boycott their upcoming match against Afghanistan.
Olympian Sharron Davies has joined nearly 200 parliamentarians in demanding that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) boycotts next month's Champions Trophy match as a message of defiance against the Taliban.
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The Afghanistan rulers have outlawed female participation in sport since returning to power in 2021.
So while Afghanistan has an improving men's cricket side that is due to take on England, Australia and South Africa at the tournament in Pakistan, the country has no women's side to enter international competition.
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On Friday, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the game in Lahore, Pakistan, on February 26 should go ahead and that a boycott would “deny sports fans the opportunity that they love”.
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But she faces a cross-party bid by MPs and campaigners for a boycott on women's rights grounds.
Concern has grown at the ECB's commitment to take part because the International Cricket Council (ICC) regulations state a country's full membership is conditional on having women's cricket teams in place.
The Afghanistan's men's team has so far been allowed to participate in ICC tournaments seemingly without any sanctions.
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Davies told the Express: “Can I ask if the ECB yet again don’t value women’s rights enough to forgo a cricket match?
"Can I ask the players, who value the rights of their wives and daughters, to do the right thing and stand with women by highlighting the plight of Afghan women and girls?”
Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi warned players they have the "power" to make their own stand and refuse to play.
She met ECB executives on Tuesday after sending her cross-party letter, signed by Reform leader Nigel Farage and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, among others, to the governing body.
It said: “As the world watches this insidious dystopia unfold, women in Afghanistan find themselves erased from the most innocent of daily activities, imprisoned at home, risking torture and public execution if they protest or do not comply.
“Now, with England scheduled to play Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy next month, you have a precious opportunity to extend those principles and condemn this abhorrent oppression.
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“We strongly urge the England cricket men's team players and officials to speak out against the horrific treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban.”
Senior Tory MP Alicia Kearns added: “What moral compass tells you it’s the right thing to play a country conducting gender apartheid?
“The England and Wales Cricket Board needs to boycott their match against Afghanistan or tell us what message they think they’re sending to the women and girls of both Afghanistan and England – we’re all watching.
“Beyond the moral case, the rules of the ICC require all test nations to support and fund women’s cricket, yet the women in Afghanistan are being denied that right.
“Sport doesn’t get a hall pass when it comes to mass human rights abuses – giving the Taliban a shot at a PR coup is unforgivable.”
Independent MP Rosie Duffield said: "It is really disappointing that Lisa Nandy has not backed the call by the now over 200 MPs who signed Tonia Antoniazzi's letter supporting a boycott of the Champions Trophy matches involving the Afghan team.
"It's important that we stand united against the bullying and oppression of women in Afghanistan who are not permitted to participate in sport, or any aspect of public life under Taliban rule.
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"I’m particularly concerned by the reports that England are refusing to boycott the match due to safety fears for their players and the threat of reprisals."
Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice said he was proud to have signed the letter demanding a boycott.
He added: “The Taliban have to realise there are consequences to their actions that are ruining that country.”
The Prime Minister’s spokesman slammed the erosion of women and girls’ rights by the Taliban as “appalling”.
He added: “We condemn the suppression of their freedom in the strongest terms.
"England’s participation in the Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan is a matter for the ICC and the England and Wales Cricket Board.
“We remain in regular contact with the ECB on the issue and the wider issue of the Afghan and women’s cricket team. We welcome that the ECB is making representations to the ICC on this wider issue and what support can be given.”
Ms Nandy believes allowing the match to go ahead would shine a light on the issue, but stressed the UK should not be "rolling out the red carpet" at the event.
She said: "When China hosted the Winter Olympics, I was very vocal, many of us were very vocal about making sure that we didn't send dignitaries to that event, that we didn't give them the PR coup that they were looking for when they were forcibly incarcerating the Uyghur in Xinjian.
"I am not at all relaxed about the situation in Afghanistan.
"The question is what are the right levers to make progress for those women and girls. Diplomacy is the key channel but public pressure has a part to play.
"I think it is right that we should allow sport to be sport but we should also use these moments to highlight the plight of these girls."
Richard Gould, the ECB’s chief executive, insisted the governing body "is committed to finding a solution" that "upholds the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan".
He said: "While there has not been a consensus on further international action within the ICC, the ECB will continue to actively advocate for such measures.”
"A co-ordinated, ICC-wide approach would be significantly more impactful than unilateral actions by individual members."
An ICC spokesman said: "The ICC remains closely engaged with the situation in Afghanistan and continues to collaborate with our members.
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"We are committed to leveraging our influence constructively to support the Afghanistan Cricket Board in fostering cricket development and ensuring playing opportunities for both men and women in Afghanistan.
"The ICC has established an Afghanistan Cricket Task Force, chaired by deputy chairman Imran Khwaja, who will lead the ongoing dialogue on this matter."
Cricket South Africa has called for "unified and collective approach", while the Professional Cricketers' Association declined to comment on the prospect of individual England players potentially boycotting the fixture.