England will face Afghanistan in their second group game of the 2025 Champions Trophy, but more than 160 politicians have called for a boycott over the Taliban's outlawing of female sport

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.

England have been accused of making an “appalling and misogynistic” decision by going ahead with plans to play Afghanistan despite fresh calls for a boycott of next month’s Champions Trophy fixture.

The ECB has rejected calls to boycott England's Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan, emphasizing the need for an ICC-wide approach to addressing human rights concerns while condemning the Taliban's oppressive policies against women in Afghanistan.

England will face Afghanistan in the upcoming Champions Trophy on February 26. The ECB has rejected British politicians' calls to boycott Afghanistan in the tournament, saying that the women's rights issue needs a 'coordinated,

Downing Street has called on the International Cricket Council to “deliver on their own rules” as the England team resists pressure to boycott their forthcoming match against Afghanistan. A cross-party group of over 160 MPs and peers have signed a letter urging the England and Wales Cricket Board to sit out next month’s fixture at the Champions Trophy in Lahore as a moral objection to the Taliban regime’s ongoing assault on women’s rights in the country.

The England and Welsh Cricket Board (ECB) has dismissed the call to boycott the Afghanistan clash in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 on Tuesday (Jan 7. A total of 160 British lawmakers proposed the idea of boycotting the clash which takes place on Feb 26 in Lahore.