by The England and Wales Cricket Board has called on cricket’s governing body to show leadership by taking coordinated action to end the “gender apartheid faced by Afghanistan’s 14 million women “.
In a letter to the International Cricket Council on Friday, ECB chief executive Richard Gould also urged it to “find a solution that gives hope that the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan can be restored” .
Related: Lisa Nandy rejects calls for England to boycott Afghanistan cricket match
“What is happening in Afghanistan constitutes the worst violation of women’s rights in the world,” Gould wrote. “If we fail to take the actions within our power – while recognizing that much is beyond our power – we are all complicit and have failed in the privilege that comes with being in a position of global leadership in our sport. »
However, Gould did not call for a boycott of matches in Afghanistan during the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates next month.
Instead, he argued for a series of alternative measures, including for a “significant proportion” of ICC funding to the Afghanistan Cricket Board to be cut until women’s and women’s cricket is restored .
Gould also suggested that the ICC fund the Afghan women’s team, many of whom are in exile in Melbourne, and allow them to play matches.
“The ECB strongly condemns the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under Taliban rule and strongly encourages the ICC to intervene and demonstrate global leadership as soon as possible,” Gould added. “The gender apartheid faced by the 14 million women in Afghanistan is at an unprecedented level in the world.
“While the problem goes well beyond cricket, with restrictions on human rights, education, health, etc., the global cricket community has a role to play collectively, to take advantage of the power of sport and have a significant impact on this global debate. .”
Earlier this week, another letter signed by almost 200 politicians, including Nigel Farage, Jeremy Corbyn and Neil Kinnock, urged the ECB to boycott England’s Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan on February 26. However, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Lisa Nandy said canceling the match would “deprive sports fans of the opportunity they love”.
“I think it should go ahead. I am instinctively very cautious about boycotts in sport, partly because I think they are counterproductive,” she added. “They can also significantly penalize athletes and sportspeople who work very, very hard to reach the top of their game and then be denied the opportunity to compete.”
