Those involved with England at the 2003 World Cup will feel a sense of unease at history repeating itself as the pressure mounts for a boycott of the Afghanistan fixture at next month’s Champions Trophy.

Fears over the safety of England players while in Pakistan are underpinning English cricket’s refusal to boycott next month’s Champions Trophy match against Taliban-governed Afghanistan.

South Africa Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie said he supported calls for a boycott of Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan, adding his voice to those of British politicians who have called on England not to play them next month.

England cricket board has rejected calls to boycott Afghanistan at the Champions Trophy 2025 despite calls from former sportspersons and politicians. The ECB feels that an ICC-wide approach would be more impactful rather than an individual country taking a radical step.

A group of more than 160 British politicians have called on the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to boycott next month's Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan as a stand against the Taliban regime's assault on women's rights.

More than 160 politicians, including Nigel Farage and Jeremy Corbyn, have signed a letter condemning the "insidious dystopia" in Afghanistan, but the ECB said it would prefer to take unified rather than unilateral action.

England's men's players have the "power" to make their own stand and refuse to play Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy, says Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi.

Richard Gould, the ECB's chief executive, has rejected calls from a group of British politicians for England to boycott their upcoming Champions Trophy clash with Afghanistan in February, saying that the Taliban regime's clampdown on women's rights is a matter that requires a "co-ordinated,

A group of British lawmakers urged England to boycott their Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan next month, saying the country's cricket board (ECB) needed to take a stand against the Taliban's crackdown on women.

The UK government says the International Cricket Council should "deliver on their own rules" relating to women's participation as the England men's team resist calls to boycott their upcoming match against Afghanistan.