Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister, has called on the ICC to “deliver on their own rules” when it comes to women’s rights in Afghanistan*, as he weighed into the row over England’s scheduled Champions Trophy clash with the country’s cricketers next month.

England are due to face Afghanistan in Lahore on February 26 in their second match of the tournament, and the ECB is under pressure to take action after receiving a letter from the Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, signed by a cross-party group of more than 160 politicians, including Jeremy Corbyn, Lord Kinnock and Nigel Farage.

The letter raised concerns over the “insidious dystopia” and “sex apartheid” in Afghanistan, where women’s sport has effectively been outlawed since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. The men’s cricket team has played England twice in this period, solely at ICC global events, including a famous victory in their most recent meeting at the 2023 ODI World Cup.

“We strongly urge the England men’s team players and officials to speak out against the horrific treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban,” the letter, addressed to Richard Gould, the ECB’s chief executive, continued.

“We also urge the ECB to consider a boycott of the upcoming match against Afghanistan … to send a clear signal that such grotesque abuses will not be tolerated. We must stand against sex apartheid and we implore the ECB to deliver a firm message of solidarity and hope to Afghan women and girls that their suffering has not been overlooked.”

Responding to the letter, Gould rejected calls for a boycott, saying that the Taliban regime’s clampdown on women’s rights is a matter that requires a “co-ordinated, ICC-led, response” rather than unilateral action from individual countries.

That stance has now received support from Downing Street.

“The ICC should clearly deliver on their own rules and make sure that they’re supporting women’s cricket as the ECB do,” the prime minister’s spokesman said. “That’s why we support the fact that the ECB are making representations to the ICC on this issue.

“The erosion of women’s and girls’ rights by the Taliban is clearly appalling. We’ll work with the ECB on this issue, we’re in contact with them. Ultimately this is a matter for the ICC in relation to the Champions Trophy.”

The situation echoes the dilemma that England’s cricketers faced at the 2003 World Cup, when Nasser Hussain’s team were urged to boycott their group-stage match with Zimbabwe, then led by Robert Mugabe – a decision that was ultimately left to the players, and resulted in a points forfeiture that scuppered their qualification for the tournament’s latter stages.

Gould’s response to Antoniazzi confirmed that the ECB has no intention of engaging in a bilateral series with Afghanistan while the Taliban regime is in power, but insisted that their participation at ICC events was a matter for the governing body as a whole, and not for individual members.

“The ECB strongly condemns the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime,” Gould wrote. “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,” he continued.

“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.

“We acknowledge and respect the diverse perspectives on this global issue,” Gould added. “We understand the concerns raised by those who believe a boycott of men’s cricket could inadvertently support the Taliban’s efforts to suppress freedoms and isolate Afghan society.

“It’s crucial to recognise the importance of cricket as a source of hope and positivity for many Afghans, including those displaced from the country. The ECB is committed to finding a solution that upholds the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan while also considering the broader impact on the Afghan people.

“We will continue to engage in constructive dialogue with the UK government, other stakeholders, the ICC, and other international cricket boards to explore all possible avenues for meaningful change.”

[Cricinfo]