Fears over the safety of England players while in Pakistan are underpinning English cricket’s refusal to boycott next month’s Champions Trophy match against Taliban-governed Afghanistan.

Exclusive: ECB wants ICC action instead of taking unilateral decision not to play Champions Trophy match in Pakistan

A group of British lawmakers urged England to boycott their Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan next month, saying the country's cricket board (ECB) needed to take a stand against the Taliban's crackdown on women.

Despite mounting calls in England and South Africa for their men’s teams to boycott Afghanistan matches in the Champions Trophy 2025, it is highly unlikely that the games will be cancelled. This is primarily because neither team would want to forfeit valuable points in a closely contested,

England's men's players have the "power" to make their own stand and refuse to play Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy, says Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi.

South Africa Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie said he supported calls for a boycott of Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan, adding his voice to those of British politicians who have called on England not to play them next month.

Those involved with England at the 2003 World Cup will feel a sense of unease at history repeating itself as the pressure mounts for a boycott of the Afghanistan fixture at next month’s Champions Trophy.

The ECB is against forfeiting the game – if England do not play, Afghanistan get full points. Given how small the cricketing world is, the ICC can ill afford to hurt the game in Afghanistan. And then there is the all-important question of what India thinks.

England’s cricket authorities have rejected calls to boycott an upcoming match against Afghanistan in the ICC Champions Trophy over the Taliban’s oppression of women and girls. Richard Gould, the chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB),

Seven MPs and peers from Northern Ireland back boycott due to the Taliban's oppression of women.