Afghan players in tricky situation over anti-Taliban boycott calls, says coach
Feb 25 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's cricketers know things are not right at home, their coach said on Tuesday, over calls for opponents to boycott Champions Trophy matches in response to the Taliban government's crackdown on women's rights.
Some UK lawmakers want England to boycott Wednesday's match, while South Africa's sports minister had spoken against playing their game last week during the tournament in Pakistan.
"These guys are brave. They know the difference between right and wrong. It is a real tricky situation for them," coach Jonathan Trott told the BBC broadcaster.
"We work hard to bring joy to the country and the guys are passionate, brave and proud of being able to do that, but knowing full well that there are things that are not correct."
Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have restricted women's access to education and work, curbed their movement and forced them to cover their faces and bodies.
"I can see the world's concern. I am concerned. I have daughters who play cricket," added Trott, who was a batsman for England though born in South Africa.
"I am proud of where I come from and the change the country made for the betterment of everybody. Hopefully one day I can see that in Afghanistan."
England' cricket board said this week's game would go ahead after talks between the UK government, the International Cricket Council and the players, adding that the cricketing community alone could not tackle Afghanistan's problems.
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said his side were sportsmen who could only control what happened on the field.
"We play hard, we work hard, we have good net sessions. So that's what we're thinking of and we only can do what we can do in the ground," he told a press conference.
Afghanistan had 25 contracted women players in 2020, but most are now in Australia.
The Taliban say they respect women's rights in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law and local customs and that internal matters should be addressed locally.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
24 minutes ago
- BBC News
Newscast Israel-Iran: The World Reacts
Today we're looking at how Iran has retaliated to Israel's strikes which targeted Iran's nuclear programme on Friday. The two countries have been exchanging fire. And, state media reports say Iran has warned the UK, US and France it will target their bases and ships in the region if they help stop the strikes on Israel. We look at how the world is reacting to the conflict. Shashank Joshi, The Economist's defence editor joins Laura and Paddy to go through it all. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast'. It works on most smart speakers You can join our Newscast online community here: Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O'Connell. It was made by Chris Flynn with Adam Chowdhury. The technical producer was Dafydd Evans. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.
Scottish Sun
40 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Trump parade LIVE: Crowds begin to gather in Washington DC for Donald Trump's historic US Army birthday parade
TODAY'S THE DAY Trump parade LIVE: Crowds begin to gather in Washington DC for Donald Trump's historic US Army birthday parade Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DONALD Trump is set to kick off a massive military parade in Washington today to celebrate the US Army's 250th anniversary - on his birthday. Crowds have started to gather for the historic military parade, which will see thousands of troops flanked by battle tanks and World War two planes march on the streets. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 People walk with the Washington Monument on the background on the day of a military parade Credit: Reuters 4 People wear hats dedicated to the US Army's 250th anniversary on the day of the parade Credit: Reuters 4 A person wears a hat with US flags on the day of the military parade Credit: Reuters 4 A supporter of President Donald Trump wears a hat with US flags on the day of the military parade Credit: Reuters Patriotic tunes will fill the air in Washington DC as the commander in chief turns 79 - with the grand military spectacle set to commemorate the US Army's 250th anniversary. The grandiose military parade will showcase soldiers, sailors, airmen and US Marines marching in their uniforms in front of thousands of spectators. As many as 7,000 troops and seven band contingents have reportedly been called to participate in the show. They will be accompanied by at least 150 military vehicles and some 50 aircraft. Some 2,000 civilians could also take march alongside the US military. The Army expects as many as 200,000 people could attend the festival and parade. For years, the president is said to have had his eyes on a full-blown military show, but has failed to put up a working plan - until now. Plans are to roll down battle tanks, massive military equipment, and aircraft and missiles, just as Trump first envisioned the parade during his first term. Among the military equipment set to be flaunted are M1A1 Abrams tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, World War II Sherman tanks and four WWII-era P-51 aircraft. The whole celebration will be enclosed with an 18-mile ring of steel to protect the parade. Drones and a small army of cops will be on hand to keep order - with there expected to be protests across the country as part of "No Kings" day, a series of anti-Trump rallies by people objecting to the parade. It comes after a week of unrest in many cities - with anti-immigration raid riots in LA and protests against ICE across the US. Stay up to date with the latest on the parade with The Sun's live blog below...
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Aiden Markram helps South Africa beat Australia in World Test Championship final
Bavuma fell early on Saturday morning for 66 and, though Markram was dismissed six runs short of the victory target, his 136 was the crucial innings and allowed David Bedingham and Kyle Verreynne to finish the job. South Africa's Kyle Verreynne, right, celebrates with team-mate David Bedingham after hitting the winning runs at Lord's (Ben Whitley/PA) It ends a series of agonising near misses for the five-time World Cup semi-finalists and 2024 T20 World Cup runners-up and marks the Proteas' first global trophy since 1998, when they won the Wills International Cup – the precursor to the Champions Trophy – and the Commonwealth Games. Markram told 5 Live Sports Extra: 'It's been a very long time coming, got close in the past couple of years and not been able to get over the line. 'The first one was always going to be the toughest one, the group of guys have been playing some really good cricket but it never really feels worth it until you win something. 'Because of us getting over the line today, a lot of emotions are coming out of some of the boys and they're just really proud of what they've achieved.' Bavuma had battled through a hamstring injury on Friday evening as he and Markram piled on the runs. He lasted only three overs of the fourth morning before a tame edge off rival captain Pat Cummins was taken by wicketkeeper Alex Carey. Tristan Stubbs dug in, contributing eight to a stand of 24 with Markram lasting nearly an hour before he was bowled by Mitchell Starc. South Africa's Aiden Markram, left, is congratulated on his match-winning innings by Australia's Marnus Labuschagne (Ben Whitley/PA) Bedingham settled South Africa's nerves in partnership with Markram as the pair put on 35 in 10 patient overs. Markram's brilliant innings finally came to an end when he whipped Josh Hazlewood into the leg side but was superbly taken low to his right by Travis Head. The fielder's lack of celebration suggested that the game was up and – though there was a final moment of drama when Verreynne gloved Starc through to Carey but was given not out, with Australia's reviews spent – the winning run came two balls later. South Africa's past failures at the business end of major tournaments, some of them farcical in nature, have seen the team labelled 'chokers' and Bavuma was happy to lay the ghost to rest. Temba Bavuma skippered South Africa to an emotional win (Ben Whitley/PA) He told 5 Live Sports Extra: 'While I was batting I heard some of the Aussies use that word, the 'choke' word. 'You see the elation of past greats, guys like Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers, they had that opportunity and with the greats they had, they weren't able to do something like this. 'So we know what we just did is not only for us, it's also for them. We've been etched in history, we're part of something that's never been done. 'It's special in a lot of ways. For South Africa, there's an opportunity for us to be united. We've got a cause in front of us where we can put aside our differences and live in this joyful moment as a nation.'
