England’s captain Jos Buttler expressed that he does not think a boycott of Afghanistan’s cricket team is the appropriate response ahead of their scheduled match in next month’s Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan.
The match, set to take place in Lahore on February 26, has faced significant political scrutiny in recent weeks.
This followed a letter from Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi to Richard Gould, the ECB Chief Executive, condemning the “insidious dystopia” and “sex apartheid” affecting 14 million women in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime.
The letter, signed by over 160 British politicians, urged England’s men’s team to speak out against the mistreatment of women and girls, including the ban on female participation in sports since 2021.
Antoniazzi suggested that a boycott would send a “clear signal” that such abuses would not be tolerated.
In response, Gould rejected the call for a boycott, emphasising the need for a “coordinated, ICC-led response” rather than unilateral actions by individual countries.
His stance was supported by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who encouraged the ICC to enforce its own rules, and Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, who deemed such measures “counterproductive.”
Ahead of the first T20I against India in Kolkata, Buttler spoke about the situation, saying that while players are trying to stay informed, the decision would be led by the “experts.”
He expressed hope that the match would proceed as scheduled.
“Political situations like this, as a player, you’re trying to be as informed as you can be,” Buttler said.
“The experts know a lot more about it, so I’ve been in dialogue with Rob Key [ECB men’s managing director] and others to see how they view it. I don’t think a boycott is the way to go about it,” he added.
His comments drew comparisons to the 2003 World Cup, when England’s players were urged to boycott a match against Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe’s regime.
The decision was ultimately left to the players, who forfeited points and failed to qualify for the tournament’s later stages.
However, the wicket-keeper batter expressed confidence that no such individual pressure would arise this time.
“The players haven’t really worried too much about it,” he said.
“We’re trying to educate ourselves and gather expert opinions. As players, we don’t want political situations to affect sport. We hope to go to the Champions Trophy, play the game, and have a great tournament,” he added.
England squad for Champions Trophy 2025:
Jos Buttler (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood.
