Key Points
Taliban has banned Afghan women from sports including cricket since 2021 takeover
160 UK politicians urged ECB to boycott Afghanistan fixture in protest
ECB rejected boycott calls despite ongoing restrictions on Afghan women
Buttler hopes match will provide "hope and enjoyment" during difficult times
Since the Taliban took control in Afghanistan in 2021, women have been barred from universities, parks, and sports in the nation, including cricket.
Ahead of Afghanistan's Champions Trophy clash against England in Lahore, Shahidi rooted for Afghanistan women to play cricket but admitted that it is beyond his control when politics is involved.
"Everyone likes to see everyone play. When it comes to politics and those things which we cannot control, we are only cricket players. We can control things on the ground," Shahidi said in the pre-match press conference.
Notably, ever since the Taliban's takeover Kabul in 2021, several restrictions have been imposed on Afghan women, with them being denied the right to education and work and making it mandatory for them to cover their faces in public and come out only with a male member.
According to ESPNcricinfo, during the week leading up to the game, 160 politicians in the UK called on the ECB to boycott the Afghanistan fixture as a protest against the Taliban government's barring Afghanistan women from playing cricket. However, ultimately, the ECB rejected the boycott calls.
Amid the outside developments, Shahidi affirmed that the team's focus remains on the fixture that lies ahead of them.
"We are sportspersons. We control what we can do inside the ground, and we can't worry about what's happening out of the ground. We play hard, we work hard, we have good net sessions. So that's what we're thinking of," he added.
England captain Jos Buttler stated that the current situation of the Afghanistan women saddens his side. He hopes that their match against Afghanistan can be a source of "hope" and "enjoyment."
"I've taken a lot of advice from lots of experts. Credit to Rob Key and the ECB. They've been very good at supporting me and all the players, and giving us information and education around this, and making it an ECB decision," Buttler said in the pre-match press conference.
"We're very saddened at the plight of women and girls in Afghanistan at the moment and the struggles they are facing. But we hope that the game tomorrow can be a source of hope and enjoyment in what is obviously a tough time at the moment. We're very excited about the match. Sport has a great power to unite people and give hope, and that's what we hope this game will do," he added.
