Pressure builds on South Africa to boycott Afghanistan in Champions Trophy

Sports minister urges cricket board to reconsider their Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan on Feb 21 in Lahore

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South African Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie has added his voice to the growing calls for a boycott of Afghanistan in the upcoming Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

His comments come after British politicians urged England to refuse to play Afghanistan next month, due to the Taliban government's crackdown on women's rights since its return to power in August 2021.

South Africa and England are in the same group as Afghanistan for the competition, and both teams are facing pressure to boycott their respective fixtures against Afghanistan.

South Africa is scheduled to open their Champions Trophy campaign against Afghanistan in Karachi on February 21 as McKenzie has called on Cricket South Africa to reconsider honouring the fixture.

McKenzie stated, “Cricket South Africa, the federations of other countries, and the ICC [International Cricket Council] will have to think carefully about the message the sport of cricket wishes to send the world, and especially to women in sports.”

“It is not for me as the sports minister to make the final decision on whether South Africa should honour cricketing fixtures against Afghanistan. If it was my decision, then it certainly would not happen,” he continued.

He further added, "As a man who comes from a race that was not allowed equal access to sporting opportunities during apartheid, it would be hypocritical and immoral to look the other way today when the same is being done towards women anywhere in the world."

The issue has gained significant attention, with Peter Hain, the former British cabinet minister and anti-apartheid campaigner who grew up in South Africa, writing to Cricket South Africa urging them to challenge the ban on women’s and girls’ cricket in Afghanistan.

Additionally, more than 160 British politicians have signed a cross-party letter to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), calling for a boycott of England’s fixture against Afghanistan in Lahore on February 26.

ECB chief executive Richard Gould responded by advocating for a uniform approach from all member nations regarding Afghanistan’s participation in international cricket. However, Cricket South Africa has yet to comment publicly on the matter.

Australia, another nation scheduled to face Afghanistan, will play them in Lahore on February 26.

Cricket Australia had previously postponed a bilateral men’s T20 series against Afghanistan in March 2023, citing “deteriorating human rights for women and girls under Taliban rule.”

Despite this, Australia did play Afghanistan at the World Cup in India in late 2023 and during the T20 World Cup last June.

Cricket Australia Chairman Mike Baird defended their stance, saying, “We’ve taken a position, and we’re proudly standing up where we think we should.”