Champions Trophy 2025: ECB rejects calls for England to boycott Afghanistan match

A group of British politicians had urged the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to boycott their fixture against Afghanistan in the 2025 Champions Trophy in protest against the ruling Taliban regime’s effective outlawing of women’s rights.

However, as per reports, ECB has reported the call for England to boycott Afghanistan match.

England are due to face Afghanistan in Lahore on February 26 in their second match of the tournament.

ECB clarified its stance over the matter by issuing a statement 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.

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“The ECB strongly condemns the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime. The ICC constitution mandates that all member nations are committed to the growth and development of women’s cricket. In line with this commitment, the ECB has maintained its position of not scheduling any bilateral cricket matches against Afghanistan,” read the ECB statement.

“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 coordinated, ICC-wide approach would be significantly more impactful than unilateral actions by individual members,” it added.

Notably, England are not playing any bilateral cricket with Afghanistan as a moral protest against the issue. The last ODI match between the two countries was in the 2023 World Cup.