Cricket Scotland limits ties with Afghanistan over women's rights

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Cricket Scotland will no longer schedule cricket matches against Afghanistan outside International Cricket Council (ICC) events, citing the Taliban government's treatment of women and girls.

The decision followed a board review of the organisation's engagement with the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB).

Scotland have not played Afghanistan in a full international match since the 2021 T20 World Cup, although they faced them in warm-up matches ahead of the last two T20 World Cups in 2024 and 2026.

Cricket Scotland launched the review this summer after the ACB requested access to training facilities in Scotland ahead of Afghanistan's tour of Ireland. The request was rejected because it came at short notice and no suitable venues were available.

The review was also prompted by an ACB approach regarding the potential availability of Scottish players for the planned Afghanistan Premier League T20 (APL).

George Munsey, Scotland's opening batter and a regular in franchise cricket, was the only Scottish player selected in last week's APL draft. Cricket Scotland confirmed that it would issue him a No-Objection Certificate (NOC), subject to the league receiving ICC approval.

Cricinfo reported that all of Scotland's contracted men's and women's players were informed of the new policy on Monday.

"Cricket Scotland will comply with its obligations as set out in its contracts with its players," the board said in a statement. "If an NOC is issued, participation by the player/s must not be interpreted as an endorsement by Cricket Scotland of the current Afghan regime or its policies."

The board said Scotland would play Afghanistan only when required at ICC events, including warm-up matches. It would not "proactively schedule" fixtures against Afghanistan "unless there is a material change in the circumstances surrounding Afghanistan women's cricket and wider human rights considerations".

Cricket Scotland's position follows similar restrictions adopted by Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Afghanistan received Full Member status from the ICC in 2017 despite not meeting the requirement to fund a women's national team and development structures.

Conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan have deteriorated significantly since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Experts have described the situation as "gender apartheid".

An Afghanistan Refugee Women's XI, made up primarily of players based in Australia, toured England this summer to coincide with the women's T20 World Cup.

Earlier this year, the ICC introduced a roadmap that could allow the refugee team to compete in its events by 2030.

Source: Cricinfo