Gayton McKenzie urges Proteas to boycott ICC Champions Trophy clash with Afghanistan over Taliban's ban on women's sport

Sports minister Gayton McKenzie has joined the calls for the Proteas to boycott their ICC Champions Trophy game against the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.

Temba Bavuma and his Proteas will begin their Champions Trophy campaign with a Group B clash against Afghanistan at the National Stadium in Karachi, Pakistan on February 21. England and Australia are the other teams in the group.

However, there have been growing calls for South Africa to refuse to play the game after the country's Taliban government banned women's sport and disbanded the women's cricket team in 2021.

Last year, Cricket Australia called off a bilateral tour to the country after the Taliban refused to sanction the participation of women in sport. South Africa, though, went ahead with their scheduled T20 and ODI series against Afghanistan in September.

Principle of equality in sport

In a statement on Thursday, McKenzie said he supported the call for the Proteas to boycott the match.

"To be clear, the ICC has accepted the principle of equality in sport, and that member nations should be developing both male and female players. This does not happen in the case of Afghanistan, suggesting that political interference in the administration of sport is being tolerated there," McKenzie said.

"In the same breath, Sri Lanka was banned in 2023 for political interference.

"I am aware that the ICC, like most international sporting mother bodies, professes not to tolerate political interference in the administration of sport, despite its obvious inconsistency with Afghanistan.

"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.

"Cricket South Africa, the federations of other countries and the ICC will have to think carefully about the message the sport of cricket wishes to send the world, and especially the women in sports. I hope that the consciences of all those involved in cricket, including the supporters, players and administrators, will take a firm stand in solidarity with the women of Afghanistan."

England also called to boycott Afghanistan

Earlier this week, ministers in the United Kingdom also urged England, who are also in Group B, to boycott the clash for the same reasons.

"The power lies in the team. The power lies in the people that play the sport. The power lies with them - it's in their hands," Labor MP Tonia Antoniazzi was quoted by the BBC.

"How big is England cricket? It's huge. They have a huge standing in the world of sport and they do have an influence, and I want them to realise that that influence is what they should use to make a difference."

Should the Proteas, England and Australia all boycott their games, the ICC could find themselves with an embarrassing situation where Afghanistan advance to the knockout stage of the competition with walk-over victories.

IOL Sport