Courtesy: Google
South African sports minister Gayton McKenzie has called for the men’s national cricket team to not take the field against Afghanistan in the upcoming ICC Champions 2025 Group B clash in Pakistan next month. The 50-year-old wants the Protea Men to “take a firm stand in solidarity with the women” of Afghanistan, who aren’t allowed to play international cricket on behalf of their country despite the guidelines set by the ICC on the matter.
Notably, in his official statement, which was reported by Cricbuzz, Gayton McKenzie stated that the public support in South Africa for boycotting the Afghanistan men’s cricket team is “a position that I feel morally bound to support, despite the deep complications of Afghanistan's recent and tragic history.” He also alluded to the ICC’s “obvious inconsistency with Afghanistan” in regards to not tolerating the political interference in the administration of the sport.
CSA has left the decision to potentially boycott Afghanistan in Champions Trophy on ICC
Gayton McKenzie also went on to say that while it’s not his decision, he reminded the Protea Men about the Apartheid. He remarked, “It is not for me as the sports minister to make the final decision on whether South Africa should honour cricketing fixtures against Afghanistan. If it was my decision, then it certainly would not happen. As a man who comes from a race that was not allowed equal access to sporting opportunities during Apartheid, it would be hypocritical and immoral to look the other way today when the same is being done towards women anywhere in the world.”
Meanwhile, in their statement on the matter, Cricket South Africa (CSA) alluded to their continued stance against suppression of women’s rights in Afghanistan. They remarked that “the treatment and suppression of women's rights in Afghanistan abhorrent and firmly believes that women's cricket deserves equal recognition and resources, an area in which CSA's record on women's cricket in South Africa speaks for itself.”
But at the same time, they left the matter of potentially boycotting Afghanistan in the Champions 2025 clash, which is scheduled to be played at the National Stadium in Karachi on February 21, in the hands of the ICC. They wrote, “As the Champions Trophy is an ICC event, the position on Afghanistan must be guided by the world body in accordance with international tournament participation requirements and regulations.”
