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Cricket Scotland limits Afghanistan ties over women's rights

Cricket Scotland will only play Afghanistan at ICC events after a board review.

By , Sports writer

· 2 min read

Cricket Scotland
Cricket Scotland (file photo) Photo: 20MBM02 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Cricket Scotland has said it will not proactively schedule bilateral cricket with Afghanistan men unless there is a material change in women's cricket and wider human rights. The policy follows approaches from the Afghanistan Cricket Board in July and September.

Key takeaways

  • Cricket Scotland will only face Afghanistan at ICC events, including warm-up matches.
  • No bilateral series or tri-series involving Afghanistan men will be scheduled proactively.
  • No pre-tour training camps or practice matches involving Afghanistan men will be hosted outside ICC events.
  • Player NOCs may still be issued for the Afghanistan Premier League, subject to ICC sanction.
  • The policy will be reviewed annually or after any significant ICC decision.

Cricket Scotland has announced it will not schedule fixtures against Afghanistan outside ICC events because of the Taliban government's treatment of women and girls. The governing body's board approved the new policy after reviewing its engagement with the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) this summer.

Cricket Scotland will only compete with Afghanistan at ICC events when required by ICC competition regulations, including warm-up matches, and will not proactively schedule bilateral series or tri-series involving Afghanistan men unless there is a material change in the circumstances surrounding Afghanistan women's cricket and wider human rights considerations.

The board also confirmed it will not host or participate in pre-tour training camps, practice matches, or warm-up fixtures involving Afghanistan men outside ICC events. Cricket Scotland's contracted players, both men's and women's, were all informed of the board's new policy on Monday.

The governing body said it will comply with its obligations as set out in its contracts with its players, and that if a No-Objection Certificate is issued, participation by the player or players must not be interpreted as an endorsement by Cricket Scotland of the current Afghan regime or its policies.

Background and context

The review was prompted by an approach from the ACB in July requesting training facilities in Scotland ahead of Afghanistan's men's series against Ireland.

Cricket Scotland declined the request due to its last-minute nature and the unavailability of suitable venues, and used the opportunity to consider its position.

A second approach in September concerned the planned Afghanistan Premier League T20, for which George Munsey, an opening batter and regular on the franchise circuit, was the only Scottish player signed in last week's APL draft.

Cricket Scotland confirmed it will issue him a No-Objection Certificate pending the league being granted an ICC sanction.

Scotland have not played Afghanistan in a full international match since the 2021 T20 World Cup, but have faced them in warm-up matches before the last two T20 World Cups in 2024 and 2026.

Afghanistan were granted Full Member status by the ICC in 2017 despite failing to meet the requirement to fund a women's national team. Cricket Scotland's stance echoes those already applied by Cricket Australia and the ECB in relation to Afghanistan.

Cricket Scotland is the national governing body of cricket in Scotland and operates as an Associate Member of the ICC, a status it has maintained since 1994.

Scotland competes in international competitions organised by the ICC, including the Cricket World Cup and the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, and plays most of its home matches at The Grange in Edinburgh.

What happens next

Cricket Scotland said the policy will be kept under review annually or following any significant ICC decision or material change in circumstances. The board stated that Scotland would not proactively schedule any cricket against Afghanistan unless there is a material change in the circumstances surrounding Afghanistan women's cricket and wider human rights considerations.

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