UK government says England should play Afghanistan cricket match

London: England s upcoming Champions Trophy cricket match against Afghanistan should go ahead despite calls for a boycott over the Taliban s treatment...

London: England's upcoming Champions Trophy cricket match against Afghanistan should go ahead despite calls for a boycott over the Taliban's treatment of women, according to a senior British government minister.

A group of more than 160 British politicians have called on the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to refuse to play Afghanistan in protest at the women's sports policy of the Taliban.

Since returning to power in 2021 the Taliban have effectively banned female participation -- a move that puts the Afghanistan Cricket Board at odds with International Cricket Council (ICC) rules.

The ICC, however, have allowed the Afghanistan men's team to continue to compete in global competitions, with England due to face them in the one-day international Champions Trophy in Lahore on February 26.

And Cabinet minister Lisa Nandy said the match should be played amid concerns a boycott would see England docked points were they to forfeit the game. "I do think it should go ahead," Nandy, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport told the BBC on Friday.