Afghanistan ignoring debate caused by boycott calls

When Afghanistan’s squad debuts for the tournament on Friday, Hashmatullah Shahidi promises his players won’t be distracted by the discussion over their place in the Champions Trophy.

In their first game of a group that includes Australia and England, South Africa will face them in Karachi.

Due to the Taliban’s assault on women’s rights in Afghanistan, other three teams have been asked to boycott their matches against the country.

“We only control things inside the ground”, Shahidi said.

“So that’s our job and other things cannot put us under pressure”.

Shahidi was speaking in English, his second language, at Thursday’s news conference.

He also said: “As a sportsman our job is to play cricket and we don’t care what’s going on outside”.

It appeared he was referring to potential distractions, rather than the plight of women in Afghanistan.

Since the Taliban’s rule in 2021, female sport has been effectively outlawed.

In January, South Africa’s sports minister Gayton McKenzie suggested the match should not go ahead, but the Proteas will compete on Friday.

Before their scheduled match against Afghanistan on Wednesday, England will play Australia on Saturday. The International Cricket Council has demanded a unified response from the England and Wales Cricket Board, just like the South African cricket board.

Despite the absence of an active official women’s side, the ICC allows the men to compete on a national women’s team, which includes Afghanistan, of which they are required.

Afghanistan has a lot of fanfare going into the Champions Trophy.

They won four matches at the 2023 World Cup, one more than England, and reached the semi-finals of last year’s T20 World Cup.

Pitches in Pakistan are also expected to suit their world-class spinners.

“We are not here just to participate in this tournament”, Shahidi said.