Gayton McKenzie, the sports minister of South Africa, is the most recent person to argue against Afghanistan’s participation in the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Champions Trophy.
In a recent statement, South African Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie criticized Afghanistan’s participation in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy, saying that the Afghans’ participation is “hypocritical and immoral” and likening the Taliban regime’s treatment of women in their country to that of the former Apartheid regime in the rainbow nation. ESPNCricinfo reported this information. When McKenzie made these remarks, the Proteas were preparing to play Afghanistan in their Champions Trophy opener in Karachi on February 21.Afghanistan’s Group B opponent, England, was also under political pressure as 160 British MPs called on the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to boycott their February 26 match against Afghanistan in Lahore.
According to a statement from the nation’s Ministry of Sports, Arts, and Culture, McKenzie stated, “If it were my decision, then it certainly would not happen,” as reported by ESPNCricinfo. As a guy from a race that was denied equal access to athletic opportunities during the Apartheid era, it would be unethical and hypocritical to ignore the treatment of women worldwide in the present.Interestingly, former British government minister and anti-apartheid activist Peter Hain had earlier written to Cricket South Africa (CSA) to express his worries about the ban on women’s cricket in Afghanistan, which has been in place since the Taliban took back control in 2021.
The Champions Trophy is an ICC event, and CSA’s “position on Afghanistan must be guided by them in accordance with international tournament participation requirements and regulations,” according to a later statement that recognized Hain’s letter but took a similar stand to the ECB.Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom has also adopted this position, calling on the International Cricket Council to “deliver on their own rules” and asserting that any country that plays Test cricket need to have a women’s cricket squad and program.
However, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) could not be held accountable for the policies of its government, an ICC spokeswoman informed ESPNCricinfo.
“The ICC will not punish the ACB or its players for following the rules established by their nation’s authorities. The spokesperson stated, “We will keep using our influence in a positive way to help the ACB expand cricket and opportunities for both men and women to play in Afghanistan.”Afghanistan’s Group B opponents, Cricket Australia and the ECB, have both declined to play bilateral cricket against them; in fact, Australia postponed a T20I series that was scheduled for last March indefinitely.
The CSA stated that it will continue to play bilateral cricket with Afghanistan after South Africa played a three-match ODI series against them in September of last year. The CSA stated that there is “no justification for subjecting Afghan cricket players – both male and female – to secondary persecution for the actions of the Taliban.”
The eight-team competition will take place in Dubai and around Pakistan, with 15 50-over matches. The tournament’s most important match between bitter rivals India and Pakistan is scheduled for February 23 in Dubai.Current Champions Trophy winners and tournament hosts Pakistan are in Group A, along with India, New Zealand, and Bangladesh; Cricket World Cup 2023 champions Australia are in Group B, along with Afghanistan, England, and South Africa.
There will be 15 50-over matches in the eight-team competition, which will be contested in Dubai and around Pakistan. On February 23, India and Pakistan, two bitter rivals, will play the tournament’s most important match in Dubai.
Three locations in Pakistan—Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi—will host the competition. There will be three group matches in each Pakistani location, with the second semifinal taking place in Lahore.On March 9, Lahore will host the final, unless India qualifies, in which case it will be held in Dubai. The first semi-final and all three of India’s group matches will be held in Dubai; on February 19, Pakistan will play New Zealand in the tournament’s opening Group A match in Karachi; on February 21, India will play Bangladesh in the Dubai leg; and on February 21, Afghanistan will play the Proteas in Karachi in Group B.The highly anticipated Pakistan-India match is scheduled for the next day, and the weekend begins with a match between rivals England and Australia in Lahore on Saturday, February 22.
The eight teams vying for the renowned white winners’ trophy and jackets are the ones who placed in the top eight on the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup points table.
