South Africa’s Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie has expressed support for the calls to boycott Afghanistan in the upcoming Champions Trophy in Pakistan, joining a growing list of British politicians urging England not to play against Afghanistan next month.
England and South Africa are both in the same group as Afghanistan for the One-Day International tournament, and there is increasing pressure on both teams to boycott their matches in response to the Taliban government’s crackdown on women’s rights since regaining power in August 2021.
South Africa is set to face Afghanistan in their opening Champions Trophy match in Karachi on February 21. McKenzie has called on Cricket South Africa to reconsider honoring the fixture.
In a statement released on Thursday, McKenzie emphasized, “Cricket South Africa, along with other cricket federations and the ICC, will have to carefully consider the message cricket wants to send to the world, especially regarding women in sports.”
He further added, “As Sports Minister, it’s not my role to make the final decision on whether South Africa should honor fixtures against Afghanistan. If it were up to me, it certainly wouldn’t happen. As someone who comes from a race that was denied equal access to sports during Apartheid, it would be hypocritical and immoral to ignore the same situation facing women worldwide today.”
In Britain, over 160 politicians from various parties have signed an open letter to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), calling for a boycott of the England-Afghanistan match in Lahore on February 26.
ECB chief executive Richard Gould has responded by advocating for a unified stance from all cricket nations regarding Afghanistan’s participation in international cricket.
Cricket South Africa has yet to comment, despite being approached for a response. Afghanistan is also scheduled to play against Australia in Lahore on February 28.
Last March, Cricket Australia postponed a bilateral men’s T20 series against Afghanistan, citing deteriorating human rights for women and girls under Taliban rule. However, Australia played Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup in India and the 2023 T20 World Cup.
Cricket Australia chairman Mike Baird defended their position last month, stating, “We’ve taken a position, and we’re proudly standing up where we think we should.”
