British leaders have opened a front against the Taliban government of Afghanistan. A party of more than 160 politicians has appealed to end cricketing relations with Afghanistan. They are angry with the cruel rules on women and girls after the coup.
Torture against Women is the reason
After the coup, the Taliban government was formed and after that life has become hell for women and girls in Afghanistan. This is the reason why Cricket Australia broke cricketing ties with it, and like India and Pakistan, they play against each other only in ICC events. This also hurts the cricketers of Afghanistan. Women athletes had left the country to participate in the Olympics, but now things are going to get worse. A group of more than 160 British politicians has opened a front against Afghanistan.
In fact, a group of more than 160 British politicians have appealed to the England and Wales Cricket Board to boycott the Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan. They want this to raise their voice against the dire situation of women and girls under the Taliban regime. The Taliban returned to power after a coup in 2021 and since then many cruel rules, including women's participation in sports, have been declared and declared illegal. The Afghanistan Cricket Board directly violates the rules of the International Cricket Council by stopping women's cricket.
Called ECB against Taliban rule
Let us tell you that the England team is to face Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy in Lahore on 26 February. A large cross-party meeting of the House of Commons and the House of Lords included Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. Both of them called on the ECB to raise their voice against the terrible treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban rule. Afghanistan is still allowed to participate in ICC events and ECB CEO Richard Gold responded to this by suggesting that a common approach from all member countries is the best way forward.
ECB Condemns Taliban rule
He said- The ECB strongly condemns the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime. The ICC constitution mandates that all member countries commit to the development of women's cricket. In line with this commitment, the ECB has maintained its position of not organizing any bilateral cricket matches against Afghanistan. While there is no consensus within the ICC on further international action, the ECB will continue to actively advocate for such measures. A coordinated ICC-wide approach will be significantly more impactful than unilateral action by individual members.
On the other hand, Afghanistan has become a major force in white-ball cricket in recent years. It has reached 8th place in the ODI world rankings. It defeated England and Pakistan in the 2023 ODI World Cup and managed to reach the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup last year. This is the reason why Australia was out of the semi-finals. If England and Australia manage to unite the Cricket Nations, there is no doubt that the Afghanistan cricket team will be isolated.