Photo Credit: Instagram Photo of @gaytonmck
South Africa’s Sports Minister, Gayton McKenzie, has endorsed calls to boycott Afghanistan at the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan. His support aligns with British politicians urging England to avoid playing against 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 think carefully about the message the sport of cricket wishes to send the world, and especially the women in sports,” McKenzie stated on Thursday.
“It is not for me as the sports minister to make the final decision on whether South Africa should honour cricketing fixtures against Afghanistan. If it was my decision, then it certainly would not happen.”
England and South Africa, both in the same group as Afghanistan, face growing calls to boycott their fixtures in response to the Taliban government’s restrictions on women’s rights since August 2021. South Africa is set to play Afghanistan in their opening Champions Trophy match in Karachi on February 21. McKenzie urged Cricket South Africa to withdraw from the fixture.
“As a man who comes from a race that was not allowed equal access to sporting opportunities during Apartheid, it would be hypocritical and immoral to look the other way today when the same is being done towards women anywhere in the world,” McKenzie added.
More than 160 British politicians have signed a cross-party letter to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), calling for a boycott of England’s match against Afghanistan in Lahore on February 26. ECB chief executive Richard Gould has called for a unified stance among member nations regarding Afghanistan’s participation in international cricket.
Australia, another team scheduled to play Afghanistan, is set to face them in Lahore on February 28. Earlier, Cricket Australia indefinitely postponed a men’s Twenty20 series against Afghanistan in March 2023, citing “deteriorating human rights for women and girls under Taliban rule.” However, they played Afghanistan in both the World Cup in India in late 2023 and the T20 World Cup in June 2024.
Cricket Australia chairman Mike Baird defended their stance, saying, “We’ve taken a position, and we’re proudly standing up where we think we should,” in response to accusations of hypocrisy.
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Name of Author: Cricexec Staff
