South Africa’s sports minister unites calls for Afghanistan cricket boycott | Cricket News

McKenzie advises his country’s cricket regulateing body not to honour the Champions Trophy mendture aobtainst Afghanistan on February 21.

South Africa’s Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie has given his help to calls for a boycott of Afghanistan at the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan, inserting his voice to those of British politicians who have called on England not to carry out the South Asian nation at the tournament next month.

“Cricket South Africa, the federations of other countries and the ICC (International Cricket Council) will have to leank take partfilledy about the message the sport of cricket desirees to send the world, and especipartner the women in sports,” he shelp in a statement on Thursday.

“It is not for me as the sports minister to produce the final decision on whether South Africa should honour cricketing mendtures aobtainst Afghanistan. If it was my decision, then it certainly would not happen.”

England and South Africa split the same group with Afghanistan in the one-day international (ODI) competition and are under prescertain to boycott the mendtures in response to the Taliban regulatement’s crackdown on women’s rights since returning to power in August 2021.

South Africa are scheduled to uncover their Champions Trophy schedule aobtainst Afghanistan in Karachi on February 21 but McKenzie advised his country’s cricket regulateing body not to honour the mendture.

“As a man who comes from a race that was not permited equivalent access to sporting opportunities during Apartheid, it would be hypocritical and immoral to see the other way today when the same is being done towards women anywhere in the world,” he inserted.

More than 160 British politicians have signed a pass-party letter to the England and Wales Cricket Board, calling for a boycott of England’s mendture aobtainst Afghanistan in Lahore on February 26.

ECB chief executive Ricdifficult Gould reacted by calling for a uniestablish approach from all member nations towards Afghanistan’s participation in international cricket.

Australia are the other team scheduled to get on Afghanistan, in Lahore on February 28.

Cricket Australia indefinitely postponed a bitardyral men’s Twenty 20 series aobtainst Afghanistan last March citing “deteriorating human rights for women and girls in the country under Taliban rule” but they did carry out them at the World Cup in India in tardy 2023 and at the T20 World Cup last June.

Cricket Australia chairman Mike Baird last month shelp he was “very haughty of the position we’ve getn” after they were accincluded of hypocrisy.

“We’ve getn a position, and we’re haughtyly standing up where we leank we should,” he shelp.