England taking a stand for female Afghan cricketers at the Champions Trophy would make no difference - Ismail Mulla

What transpired was the best of not only English cricket but also of sport. It was a contest for the ages played in the best spirit.

Throw forward to the present and those heady days seem like a lifetime ago. And the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy is hardly going to set the pulses racing like a maiden World Cup triumph.

But off the field it is a different matter with calls for the England team to boycott its upcoming encounter with the Afghanistan team.

The ICC (International Cricket Council) requires its full members, of which Afghanistan is one, to have a national women's team.

However, ever since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, female participation in sport has effectively been outlawed in Afghanistan. Despite this, the ICC has not issued any sanctions against the Afghanistan Cricket Board.

England’s men are due to face Afghanistan in Lahore on February 26. Last month, a group of more than 160 politicians, including Nigel Farage and Jeremy Corbyn, signed a letter encouraging England to boycott the match and make a stand for women’s rights.

This is all well and good in principle but in truth it would make no difference because English cricket is powerless in the global cricket order.

The power resides with the ICC, which is in effect a proxy of the Indian cricket board. And unless there’s a desire to apply the rules in a meaningful way in Mumbai, the chances of anything happening are remote.

England being a solitary voice against the injustices suffered by female Afghan cricketers would simply not be effective.

No other members of the ICC are really willing to put their heads above the parapet either. There will be warm words for the female cricketers, in the case of Australia, they will even provide a home for them, but would they give up the chance for silverware and competition prize money? Not a chance.

The hypocrisy of the Australian cricket board is there for everyone to see. When it comes to playing a bilateral series against the Afghan team, they find a moral backbone and call it off. But when it comes to an ICC event and meaningful prizes are in the offing, they are all of a sudden short of a vertebrae.

I find it strange that the plight of female Afghan cricketers has come to the attention of MPs only just now. When the last World Cup took place in 2023, there was barely a murmur.

There’s also the argument that a boycott would be counterproductive. Banning the Afghan men’s cricket team would not only be unfair on them but also would deprive Afghans, including women, of heroes to look up to. It would set sport in general back in a country that badly needs hope.

The only hope for female Afghan cricketers is if the ICC and cricket fraternity comes together and takes a firm stand.

The ICC could take the portion of funding meant for the women’s team to actually go to the women who fled the country so that they can compete as a refugee team.

As for the England men’s cricket team, they are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. They are certain to be penalised if they boycott the fixture while playing it will undoubtedly be frowned upon by those who want to see equality in sport.

This isn’t the first time that the England men’s cricket team has found itself in the political crossfire.

During the 2003 World Cup, Tony Blair's government did not want them to travel to Zimbabwe, because of Robert Mugabe's regime. In the end they chose not to travel on safety grounds and the match was awarded to the Zimbabwe team. Ultimately, leading to an early exit from the tournament for England.

There’s a romanticised view of cricket being a gentleman’s game. Keen observers will relay a picture that is far from it.

The global game is mired with moral contradictions. Everything is for sale and little remains sacred. Stitch ups are concocted in the corridors of power to ensure that the richest in the game get richer while the rest are left to fight over scraps.

Whatever happens in this edition of the Champions Trophy, it is sadly unlikely to change anything off the field. Especially for Afghan women cricketers.