Afghan players know things are ‘not correct’ – Trott

Afghanistan’s players know “full well” things are “not correct” in their home country, says coach Jonathan Trott amid criticism of women’s rights under Taliban rule.

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

At the start of this year, nearly 200 UK politicians demanded England boycott Wednesday’s Champions Trophy match between the sides.

However, the one-day international will go ahead in Lahore, Pakistan and former England batter Trott told the BBC: “Hopefully we can make a difference.

The players are aware of that desire. On their social media accounts, they have made that clear.

Trott has coached Afghanistan since 2022 but still lives in Birmingham. When the players travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where they play a lot of their games and their main training base, they spend their camps.

The majority of the players play in domestic cricket leagues and reside in Afghanistan.

Under Taliban rule, there has been an assault on women’s rights. Women have been banned from parks and universities. Many female cricket players who had fled Afghanistan for safety were also subject to the Taliban’s home invasion.

Some of Afghanistan’s highest profile men’s players, including superstar leg-spinner Rashid Khan, have spoken out against the issues.

Despite the fact that the women’s team was banned, the men’s team was allowed to continue competing on the global stage, which allegedly violated the International Cricket Council (ICC) rules.

“These guys are brave”, Trott said. They are aware of the distinction between right and wrong. They are in a very challenging situation.

” They know who they are playing for and representing.

The men are passionate, courageous, and proud to be able to do that, but they are aware that there are some things that are wrong. “We work hard to bring joy to the country,” the men say.

Asked if his side could bring change in Afghanistan, Trott said: “I don’t know but I hope it could.

” This side has that ability at the moment. “

Last month, the Afghan women cricketers who had fled to Australia played there. They have argued that they are “proud” of the men’s team but also that they want to be treated similarly.

In January, a cross-party letter, signed by nearly 200 UK politicians, was sent to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) calling for England to refuse to play the match.

The ECB has called for the ICC to take unified action, but it was agreed that the match would continue when that was not forthcoming.

In a statement on Tuesday, Amnesty International urged England’s players to speak up for women in Afghanistan.

The least the teams on Wednesday can do is make sure the Taliban’s women and girls are heard by the world’s population and that the match doesn’t give them a free propaganda boost, according to Felix Jakens, head of campaigns for Amnesty UK.

Jos Buttler, England’s captain, expressed his satisfaction that the game would go ahead because a “boycott” wouldn’t have the desired effect after speaking with Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi about the issue.

I’m deeply depressed for the Afghan women and girls who are currently experiencing a very difficult time, buttler continued.

” We are all very aware of that. We hope some hope will be given by the cricket game they enjoy playing and watching.

Trott was born in South Africa, which was outlawed from international competition by the apartheid regime. In contrast, the ICC’s stance is that the Afghanistan team should not be punished for government policy.

” I can see the world’s concern, “Trott said”. I am concerned. I have daughters who play cricket.

“I’m proud of where I come from and the positive impact that everyone in the country has had. Hopefully one day I can see that in Afghanistan”.

England and Afghanistan will likely need to win both of their remaining matches in order to reach the semi-finals, following defeats by Australia and South Africa, respectively.

After bowler Brydon Carse’s toe injury prevented England from playing in Lahore on Wednesday, they are expected to make one change.