The head of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Richard Gould, has written to his counterpart on the International Cricket Council (ICC), urging the game’s global governing body to consider taking action against the Afghanistan Cricket Board over the Taliban government’s treatment of women.
Earlier this week, a bunch of greater than 160 politicians, including Nigel Farage, Jeremy Corbyn and Lord Kinnock, signed a letter encouraging England to boycott next month’s Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan and take a stand against the Taliban regime’s attack on women’s rights.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called on the ICC to “come forward with its own rules”, and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the match “should go ahead” in order not to punish England, but suggested British dignitaries should disregard the choice event.
“What is happening in Afghanistan is the worst violation of women’s rights in the world,” Gould wrote.
“The ECB has maintained its position that it has no plans for any bilateral cricket matches with Afghanistan. We had hoped that by expressing this concern for 2 years it might push the controversy further, but unfortunately this has not happened.
“While many of our domestic stakeholders continue to call for a boycott of our Champions Trophy appearance, a coordinated approach led by the ICC would have a much greater impact than unilateral actions by individual members.
“We want to work with you and other members to find a solution that offers hope for restoring the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.”
Gould also urged the ICC to urgently consider “imposing an immediate condition on the membership status of the Afghanistan Cricket Board to deliver women’s cricket by a specific date” and ring-fencing a “significant portion” of ACB funding until the women’s game is restored.
Women’s participation in the game has been effectively banned for the reason that Taliban returned to power in 2021, putting the ACB in direct conflict with cricket’s governing body’s regulations.
The women’s cricket team fled the country, in search of refuge in Pakistan before being granted emergency visas to Australia, where most of them are currently staying.
Under Taliban rule, payments to the women’s team were cut off and despite repeated attempts to contact the team, they’ve not heard anything from cricket bosses.
The Taliban attacked the homes of Afghan sportswomen, and a few of them were forced to burn their uniforms
Gould also called on the ICC to support the exiled women’s team “through funding and support to enable them to compete as an Afghan refugee team” – a model adopted by the International Olympic Committee for the 2024 Paris Games.
In 2021, the ICC established the Working Group on Afghanistan, whose task is to influence changes and monitor the situation within the country.
However, your complete board was made up entirely of men and after the 2023 meeting, cricket bosses significantly increased Afghanistan’s budget without providing any updates on the women’s team.
Another condition Gould outlined in his letter was: “Reform the existing Afghanistan Working Group to monitor and oversee this work by ensuring regular and objective assessment of the progress of the Afghan Cricket Board.
“This group could seek expert opinion on this topic to improve the skills of leaders and empower them to make informed and supported decisions.
“If we do not take the actions that are in our power – while knowing that there is not much in our power – we are all complicit and have failed the privilege that comes with being a world leader in our sport.”
