Hyderabad: England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have confirmed that England will face Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy as scheduled on February 26 in Lahore despite British Politicians urging for a boycott of the fixture. ECB arrived upon the decision after a set of discussions with the UK government, ICC and England players. Last month, more than 160 British politicians called for a boycott of the fixture against Afghanistan.
The boycott calls were made due to the Taliban regime’s decision to ban female participation in sports after returning to power in 2021., which violates ICC regulations. But the men’s team is still permitted to compete.
ECB update on Men’s ICC Champions Trophy match against Afghanistanhttps://t.co/cmN03dgl90
— England and Wales Cricket Board (@ECB_cricket) February 6, 2025
ECB chairman Richard Thompson stated that a coordinated international response by the cricket community is needed.
"We remain of the view that a coordinated international response by the cricketing community is the appropriate way forward, and will achieve more than any unilateral action by the ECB in boycotting this match," he said in a statement.
He further added: "We have also heard that for many ordinary Afghans, watching their cricket team is one of the few remaining sources of enjoyment. As such, we can confirm that we will play this fixture."
Afghanistan has shown improvement in limited overs cricket in recent times and is currently ranked eighth in the ODI rankings. England is at the seventh position in the ODI rankings.
ICC Champions Trophy will be played between February 19 to March 9 across Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. The tournament will be played in a hybrid model where India will play their matches in UAE. Both the teams are in Group B along with Australia and South Africa.
