ICC Champions Trophy 2025: England-Afghanistan match in jeopardy as ECB faces boycott order

England's match against Afghanistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is in danger due to the Taliban government's restrictions on women in the country. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has been asked to boycott the game against Afghanistan.

The ruling government of Afghanistan, the Taliban, has been criticized heavily for its restrictions on women's rights. Since they took over the country in 2021, women and girls have been deprived of their rights.

The schools were shut down and the higher education of women were compromised due to the shutdown of girls colleges. While some of the women managed to leave the country to seek asylum in different countries, others are still facing the brunt.

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England's Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan in danger

Around 160 members of the British parliament have urged the ECB to withdraw from England's Champions Trophy fixture against Afghanistan due to their restrictions and atrocities on women since they took over the country.

Britain has two parliamentary chambers known as the House of Commons and the House of Lords. It included Reform UK's leader Nigel Farage and former Labour Party chief Jeremy Corbyn. Both have urged the board "to speak out against the horrific treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban."

The Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021 when the US troops left the country after being there for two decades. Since then, women have been disallowed for any sort of education and playing sports.

The country's women's cricket team was also destabilized once the Taliban took over. It violates the International Cricket Council's (ICC) regulations governing cricket boards which asks all the full members to have a women's team. Afghanistan is the only Full Member not to have a women's team currently.

ECB chief executive on Taliban's atrocities

The chief executive of the ECB Richard Gould has condemned the women's treatment under the Taliban regime. He also claims to have maintained the ECB's position of not scheduling any bilateral series against Afghanistan.

"The ECB strongly condemns the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime. The ICC Constitution mandates that all member nations are committed to the growth and development of women's cricket," Gould stated.

"In line with this commitment, the ECB has maintained its position of not scheduling any bilateral cricket matches against Afghanistan," he added.

Schedule for the match

England's fixture against Afghanistan is scheduled to be played in Lahore on February 26. Both these teams are slotted in Group B alongside Australia and South Africa. The other group includes Bangladesh, India, New Zealand, and hosts Pakistan.

The Champions Trophy 2025 will be played in Pakistan and the UAE. All the teams except India will play their matches in Pakistan. India won't travel to Pakistan and will lay all its matches in the UAE. If India manages to qualify for the knockouts, they will play in Dubai.