Gayton McKenzie, the sports minister for South Africa, asked the Proteas to skip their Champions Trophy 2025 first match against Afghanistan, which is set on February 21 at Karachi’s National Stadium. The Taliban government’s decision to dissolve Afghanistan’s women’s squad and to outlaw women’s sports are the reasons behind this request.
Politicians in England put pressure on their government to boycott England’s Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan in Lahore on February 26 due to the same reasons, prior to South Africa.
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But according to Indian Express, ICC chairman Jay Shah believes the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) is just carrying out the directives of the Taliban government, which has ruled the nation since 2021, and is unable to take independent action to bring the women’s game back to life. However, in the past, the world organization has not interfered with teams losing games in international competitions because of security or other issues.
What would occur if South Africa and England did not attend their Champions Trophy 2025 match vs Afghanistan?
Afghanistan will receive all of the points if South Africa and England refuse to participate. The tournament code gives a team the freedom to participate or not play a game in accordance with the regulations. However, there is a price for not playing: Afghanistan will receive full points if England does not participate.
The co-hosts received four points earlier in 1996 when Australia and the West Indies refused to go to Sri Lanka for the World Cup, citing security concerns.
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