Champions Trophy 2025: South Africa’s Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie has called on the country’s national men’s cricket team to boycott the match against Afghanistan at the upcoming Champions Trophy in Pakistan. The call for boycott is due to his stance with Afghan women who have been severely restricted under Taliban rule.

A Moral Stand

Public opinion was against boycotting the match, according to McKenzie. He says he is “morally bound” to that position. He accepts that Afghanistan has a complex history but pointed out that the women’s rights situation would be an important thing to stand up for.

In his statement, McKenzie condemned the International Cricket Council for not taking a stance against political interference in sports, particularly on Afghanistan’s record of human rights abuses. “It would be hypocritical and immoral to ignore the situation of women in Afghanistan,” he said, referring to his own background under apartheid when South Africans were discriminated against in sports according to race.

Peter Hain’s Open Letter

The boycott call received further reinforcement in an open letter from South Africa-born anti-apartheid activist Peter Hain. Daily Maverick published the letter Hain wrote to Cricket South Africa (CSA) CEO Pholetsi Moseki in which he told how Taliban policies have been tearing apart Afghan women’s lives. Hain said that it was not enough to just speak about sports and that the denial was systematic as women were deprived of even their basic rights of education, health, and the right to walk or be in public without a male chaperone.

Hain challenged South African cricket to rise to the call for Afghan women cricketers and give voice to the right to play.

Also Read: SA20 2025: Dewald Brevis Sets The Stage Ablaze For MI Cape Town With Season’s First Fifty!

CSA’s Response: A Call for Unity

CSA condemned the way women were treated in Afghanistan, terming it as “abhorrent” that finds suppression of the rights of the women. On the other hand, CSA re-affirmed its commitment to development of women cricket in South Africa and all over the globe. It stressed however that as the Champions Trophy is an ICC event, the determination of whether South Africa should play Afghanistan rests with the world governing body, not CSA.

CSA President Rihan Richards stated that a collective, unified approach by ICC members was necessary to bring about change in Afghanistan and protect the rights of women cricketers.

The Complex Reality of Afghanistan Cricket

Politically, it has faced all kinds of obstacles. Despite the same, CSA is seen carrying out interactions with the Afghanistan Cricket Board and Afghan cricketers. South Africa’s move to play against Afghanistan has drawn much criticism from human rights bodies like Lawyers for Human Rights. According to these, by playing against Afghanistan, they are providing indirect approval for the actions carried out by the Taliban.

Interestingly, the South African national team is not an isolated case. Other countries, including the UK, have expressed their support for a boycott. More than 160 UK politicians from the left and right have urged England to boycott their February 26 match against Afghanistan in Lahore. Australia has adopted a different strategy by not playing bilateral series against Afghanistan but participating in ICC tournaments.

Afghan players also comment that participation in international leagues is one of the factors behind Afghanistan’s growth of cricketing talent. Rashid Khan, a SA20 league player, recalled Afghanistan’s semifinal qualification in the 2024 T20 World Cup: “This journey of the team has proven how it’s been great for us to be able to play alongside these superstars in leagues like SA20.”.

The Upcoming Champions Trophy 2025

South Africa will play Afghanistan in their first match of the Champions Trophy in Karachi on February 21. It will be a momentous occasion, not only for cricket but also for the global conversation about human rights and the role of sports in standing up for justice.

Also Read: SA20 2025: ‘For Me, It Was First Time…’ Rashid Khan Reflects On Leading MI Cape Town