Cape Town: South Africa’s Sports Minister, Gayton McKenzie, said he supports calls for a boycott of Afghanistan in the Champions Cup football tournament in Pakistan, adding his voice to those of British politicians who called on England not to play them next month.
England and South Africa share the same group as Afghanistan in the one-day international competition and have been under pressure to boycott matches in response to the Taliban government’s crackdown on women’s rights since it returned to power in August 2021.
South Africa are scheduled to open their Champions Trophy schedule against Afghanistan in Karachi on February 21, but McKenzie has urged his country’s cricket governing body not to disrespect the match.
“Cricket South Africa, other federations and the International Cricket Council will need to carefully consider the message that cricket wants to send to the world, especially women in sport,” he said in a statement. Thursday.
“It is not my place as Sports Minister to make the final decision on whether South Africa should honor cricket matches against Afghanistan. If that were my decision, it certainly would not happen.
He added: “As a man of a race that was not allowed to have equal opportunities to play sport during apartheid, it would be hypocritical and immoral to look the other way today when the same is being done to women anywhere in the world.”
More than 160 British politicians have signed a cross-party letter to the England and Wales Cricket Board, calling for a boycott of the England v Afghanistan match in Lahore on 26 February.
ECB Chief Executive Richard Gould responded by calling for a unified approach by all member states to Afghanistan’s participation in international cricket.
There was no comment from Cricket South Africa, which was contacted for a response.
Australia is the other country scheduled to face Afghanistan in Lahore on February 28.
Cricket Australia indefinitely postponed the men’s Twenty20 series against Afghanistan last March due to “the deterioration of the human rights of women and girls in the country under Taliban rule”.
But they played them in the World Cup in India in late 2023 and in the T20 World Cup last June.
Cricket Australia boss Mike Bird said last month he was “very proud of the stance we’ve taken” after accusing them of hypocrisy. “We have taken a stand, and we proudly stand where we believe we should,” he said.