Afghanistan boycott ‘not way to go’, says England captain Buttler
England’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler has insisted that a boycott of their upcoming match against Afghanistan over the Taliban’s treatment of women is not “the way to go about it”.
The England and Wales Cricket Board has faced growing pressure from politicians and activists to boycott next month’s fixture with Afghanistan, part of the Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
Critics cite gender apartheid and the lack of a women’s team in the troubled nation as justification for a boycott but there are fears over possible reprisals for player safety if England were to take a stand in a volatile climate.
“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 trying to stay in dialogue with Rob Key [ECB men’s managing director] and the guys above to see how they see it. I don’t think a boycott is the way to go about it.
“The players haven’t really worried too much about it. These things, you’re trying to educate yourself and read up on these things. There’s been some good stuff written about it that I’ve tapped into and I’ve spoken to quite a few people to try and gather expert opinion.
“I’m led by those experts on situations like this, but as a player, you don’t want political situations to affect sport. We hope to go to the Champions Trophy and play that game and have a really good tournament.”
Former England Test captain Mike Atherton is among those in cricket who have argued that politicians should have no involvement in the decision when the UK government was part of a disastrous coalition withdrawal from Afghanistan, which led to the Taliban surging back into power and innocent civilians being killed.
Afghanistan restrictions
Even if England did boycott the game, it may not be universally popular in the UK, with footage emerging this week of some British Afghans condemning the parliamentary calls for a cancellation of the fixture.
The Taliban has completely banned women and girls from competing in sport, or even playing it socially in the country. More broadly, female citizens cannot speak in public and discuss certain topics without male guardians in their presence.
“I’m instinctively very cautious about boycotts in sports, partly because I think they’re counterproductive,” Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said on Tuesday.
“They deny sports fans the opportunity that they love and they can also very much penalise the athletes and the sportspeople who work very, very hard to reach the top of their game. They are not the people that we want to penalise for the appalling actions of the Taliban against women and girls.”