AGENCY
NEW DELHI, Feb 25
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi has voiced his support for the right of Afghanistan’s women to play cricket, but reiterated that the situation was something “we cannot control”. Speaking ahead of Afghanistan’s training session before they face England in Lahore in the Champions Trophy on Wednesday, Shahidi said the focus for his side remained on what happened “inside the ground”. “Everyone likes to see everyone play,” Shahidi said. “When it comes to politics and those things which we cannot control, we are only cricket players we can control things in the ground.” The issue was thrust into sharper focus because of who Afghanistan are playing. In the weeks building up to this game, more than 160 politicians in the UK called on the ECB to boycott the fixture against Afghanistan in protest against the Taliban government refusing to allow women to play cricket in the country. The UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on the ICC to “enforce their own rules”, but the ECB ultimately rejected calls to boycott the fixture. Shahidi, though, reiterated his focus, and that of the men’s team, remained on their upcoming fixture. “We are sportspersons. We control what we can do inside the ground and we can’t worry about what’s happening out of the ground. We play hard, we work hard, we have good net sessions. So that’s what we’re thinking of.” Shahidi’s somewhat guarded statement of support lines up with other high-profile Afghan cricketers who have spoken up in support of women’s rights in Afghanistan. Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi were most outspoken late last year, with both players speaking after women were banned from training as doctors.
Jos Buttler, England’s captain, said that his team were “very saddened” by the situation faced by women and girls in Afghanistan, which the ECB described as “gender apartheid” when confirming earlier this month that Wednesday’s game will go ahead.
“I’ve taken a lot of advice from lots of experts,” Buttler said. “Credit to Rob Key and the ECB. They’ve been very good at supporting me and all the players, and giving us information and education around this, and making it an ECB decision.
“We’re very saddened at the plight of women and girls in Afghanistan at the moment, and the struggles they are facing. But we hope that the game tomorrow can be a source of hope and enjoyment in what is obviously a tough time at the moment. We’re very excited about the match. Sport has a great power to unite people and give hope, and that’s what we hope this game will do.”
