English cricketers are being urged to reflect on their 'daughters, sisters or mothers' as they consider playing in the men's T20 franchise tournament organised by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB). The inaugural Afghan Premier League (APL) will take place later this year in the United Arab Emirates.
English players Ollie Pope and Luke Wood have entered the draft for the tournament, which takes place in October, alongside fellow Englishmen Moeen Ali, Reece Topley, James Vince, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Laurie Evans. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has declined to schedule bilateral men's cricket against Afghanistan due to the Taliban's treatment of women and girls. According to BBC Sport, the ECB's policy does not extend to franchise tournaments, meaning players can decide for themselves whether to participate.
The ECB is likely to issue players with a no-objection certificate (NOC) to play, provided the tournament is approved by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The ACB has submitted a request to the ICC for approval to hold the tournament, which is currently under consideration. Last year, the ECB's Richard Thompson used the term 'gender apartheid' to describe the systematic oppression and restriction of the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan by the Taliban.
When England last played Afghanistan, at the 2025 Champions Trophy, calls for a boycott of the match emerged, with a cross-party letter signed by 200 MPs sent to the ECB. Tonia Antoniazzi, the Labour MP who led the calls, told BBC Sport that players considering the APL should seriously consider the consequences of participating.
'Why are we here again? Women and girls in Afghanistan are denied the same rights as those in our country, and the women's team is in exile,' said Antoniazzi. 'Are players not concerned, especially those with daughters, sisters or mothers?' she added. 'I hope the ICC will refuse to approve this event. Allowing Afghanistan to remain a full member mocks the criteria for membership.'
The APL, featuring five teams, is set to begin on 27 December. Players from Ireland and Scotland, including Jai Moondra and Brandon McMullen, have also entered the APL draft. Felix Jenkins of Amnesty International has urged players to carefully consider playing in a tournament organised by a board in a country that has 'erased women and girls from public life'.
'Since 2021, women in Afghanistan have been banned from sport, and girls have been excluded from education after the age of 11,' said Jenkins. 'Each English player considering the APL, and the ECB deciding on the NOCs, should ask themselves what message this sends to those girls.' He added: 'They should use their platform and influence to demand that the Taliban reverse their attack on the rights of women, rather than remaining silent while this continues.'
Afghan women cricketers play as a refugee team following the Taliban's takeover, with funding provided by the ICC and the cricket boards of England, India and Australia. In July, the ICC extended funding for Afghan women until 2032 and took a stronger stance on allowing the team to participate in qualification events in the future.
