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.

Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021 it has clamped down on the rights of women and girls, restricting their access to education and work, curbing their freedom of movement, and forcing them to cover their faces and bodies.

Women and girls have also been barred from sports and gyms, a breach of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) rules. The Afghanistan women’s team was also disbanded, with several members fleeing the country after 2021.

England are scheduled to face Afghanistan in a group-stage match on February 26 in Lahore, Pakistan.

A letter signed by more than 160 politicians on Monday called for England’s players and officials to speak out against the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan.

“We also urge the ECB to consider a boycott of the upcoming match against Afghanistan in the ICC Champions Trophy Group stage on February 26th to send a clear signal that such grotesque abuses will not be tolerated,” the letter added.

ECB chief executive Richard Gould responded by calling for a uniform approach from all member nations towards Afghanistan’s participation in international cricket.

“The ECB strongly condemns the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime,” Gould said.

“The ICC Constitution mandates that all member nations are committed to the growth and development of women’s cricket. In line with this commitment, the ECB has maintained its position of not scheduling any bilateral cricket matches against Afghanistan.

“While there has not been a consensus on further international action within the ICC, the ECB will continue to actively advocate for such measures. A coordinated, ICC-wide approach would be significantly more impactful than unilateral actions by individual members.”

England previously faced Afghanistan at the 50-overs Cricket World Cup in 2023, as well as at the Twenty20 World Cup in 2022.

Last year, Australia called off a T20 series against Afghanistan citing the deteriorating human rights situation for women.

Shubman Gill’s struggles in Test cricket continued during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia.

He managed just 93 runs in five innings, averaging under 20.

Gill missed the series opener in Perth because of an injury and was excluded from the playing XI in Melbourne as the team opted for three all-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Shubman Gill’s struggles in Test cricket continued during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia.

He managed just 93 runs in five innings, averaging under 20.

Gill missed the series opener in Perth because of an injury and was excluded from the playing XI in Melbourne as the team opted for three all-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

‘In this series, I did not get it from Shubman. Even on the field, he was poor. He couldn’t stay in slip and point. What does he contribute to the team?’

Since his Test debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in December 2020, Gill has played 32 matches and averages a little over 35, a figure that falls short of the expectations surrounding his potential.

Following his side’s win over Pakistan in the second Test match of the series, South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said that it was a satisfying feeling.

Temba Bavuma-led South Africa on Monday clinched a massive 10-wicket victory over Pakistan in the second and final match of the series at the Newlands in Cape Town. With the win, the Proteas whitewashed Pakistan in the two-match Test series.

Speaking after the win, Bavuma said that he is pleased to see his side “motivated” for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final at the Lord’s.

“We won the first game, we qualified for the (WTC) final and we had some time before coming here, so for the guys to get themselves up and get motivated, that’s what I’m pleased about. It’s satisfying, good old Test cricket that we’re used to. There’s was something for the new-ball bowlers and then it flattened out, and our batters dug in for a good score. Late on day four there was some spin. It’s what we were accustomed to growing up. It will put us in good stead, but there are also lessons about how we can get better,” Bavuma was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying.

The Proteas skipper hailed Kwena Maphaka for his “super confident” and always being in the contest.

“(Maphaka) Exuberance of youth, a guy who’s super confident and wants to be in the contest. He never had his head down and always wanted to make a play for the team. [WTC final at Lord’s] Looking forward to it, up against Australia so it’s not going to be any mean feat. We’ll enjoy the moment,” he added.