Afghanistan ignoring debate caused by boycott calls

Afghanistan are making their debut at the Champions Trophy

Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi says his players will ignore any potential distraction caused by the debate around their place at the Champions Trophy when they enter the tournament on Friday.

Afghanistan play South Africa in Karachi – the first match in a group that also includes Australia and England.

There have been calls for the other three teams to boycott their matches against Afghanistan because of the Taliban's assault on women's rights in the country.

"We only control things inside the ground," Shahidi said.

"So that's our job and other things cannot put us under pressure."

Shahidi was speaking in English, his second language, at Thursday's news conference.

He also said: "As a sportsman our job is to play cricket and we don't care what's going on outside."

It appeared he was referring to potential distractions, rather than the plight of women in Afghanistan.

Female participation in sport has effectively been outlawed since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

In January, South Africa's sports minister Gayton McKenzie suggested the match should not go ahead, but the Proteas will compete on Friday.

England play Australia on Saturday before their meeting with Afghanistan next Wednesday. The England and Wales Cricket Board, like the South African cricket board, has called for a unified response from the International Cricket Council.

The ICC requires its full members, of which Afghanistan is one, to have a national women's team, but the men have been allowed to compete regardless of there being no active official women's side.

The global governing body's stance is that current men's players should not be punished for Afghanistan government policy, and it wants to use its position and the sport of cricket to influence change in the country.

'We are here to win'

Afghanistan go into the Champions Trophy well fancied.

They won four matches at the 2023 World Cup, one more than England, and reached the semi-finals of last year's T20 World Cup.

Pitches in Pakistan are also expected to suit their world-class spinners.

"We are not here just to participate in this tournament," Shahidi said.

"We are 100% looking to win this event. It's a good chance for us because the boys are very experienced and these conditions are also suitable for us, so we have a good chance."