The South African Sports Minister has raised the call for a boycott of the match against Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy. This follows a similar demand from UK politicians, where over 160 Members of Parliament, including Jeremy Corbyn and Nigel Farage, urged the England Cricket Board (ECB) to refuse to play against Afghanistan in a group match scheduled for February 26.
The letter sent to the ECB emphasized the importance of sending a strong message of solidarity with Afghan women. It stated that boycotting the match against Afghanistan would send a clear message of intolerance toward injustice.
Now, South Africa is facing a similar situation. South African Sports Minister, Gaten McKenzie, has urged his team to boycott the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan, citing the Taliban government’s ban on women in sports and the dissolution of Afghanistan’s women’s cricket team after the Taliban took power in 2021.
The Champions Trophy match between South Africa and Afghanistan is scheduled for February 21 in Karachi. The tournament will begin on February 19, with the final match scheduled for March 9.
