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Jos Buttler, England's white-ball captain, has dismissed the idea of boycotting Afghanistan in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, stating that it is not the right approach. England is scheduled to face Afghanistan in Lahore on February 26, but the match has sparked significant political debate.
The controversy stems from a letter written by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi to ECB Chief Executive Richard Gould. Signed by over 160 British politicians, the letter highlights the "sex apartheid" and "insidious dystopia" endured by 14 million Afghan women under Taliban rule, where female participation in sports has been effectively banned since 2021. Antoniazzi urged England's players to speak out against the horrific treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan and argued that boycotting the match would send a strong message against these abuses. However, Gould rejected the call for a boycott, emphasising the need for a coordinated, ICC-led response rather than unilateral action by individual nations. His stance has received support from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who urged the ICC to enforce its own regulations, and from Lisa Nandy, the UK's sport and culture secretary, who argued that boycotts are "counterproductive." Speaking in Kolkata ahead of England's T20I series against India, Buttler expressed confidence that the match would proceed as planned, stating that the team would rely on guidance from experts. "Political situations like this, as a player you're trying to be as informed as you can be," Buttler said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo. "The experts know a lot more about it, so I've been trying to stay in dialogue with Rob Key [ECB men's managing director] and the guys above to see how they see it. I don't think a boycott is the way to go about it," he said. The situation draws parallels with England's dilemma during the 2003 Cricket World Cup, when Nasser Hussain's team faced pressure to boycott their match against Zimbabwe, then under the leadership of Robert Mugabe. That decision, left to the players, ultimately resulted in a points forfeiture that ended their tournament hopes. Buttler, however, remains optimistic that no such individual pressure will be placed on his team this time. "The players haven't really worried too much about it," he said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. "These things, you're trying to educate yourself and read up on these things. There's been some good stuff written about it that I've tapped into and I've spoken to quite a few people to try and gather expert opinion," he added. "I'm led by those experts on situations like this, but as a player, you don't want political situations to affect sport. We hope to go to the Champions Trophy and play that game and have a really good tournament," he said. (ANI)
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