Lord peter hain

Parliament Lord Peter Hain: Cricket South Africa (CSA) has rejected a request from a British Member of Parliament for the South Africa men's team to boycott their match against Afghanistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 to be played in Pakistan next month. The CSA said the decision to ban Afghanistan has to be taken by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

CSA is under pressure from certain quarters to have its team not play against Afghanistan because the Taliban government suppresses women's rights in Afghanistan. The Taliban government in Afghanistan has imposed a ban on women’s sports and disbanded the women’s cricket team since it came back to power in 2021.

"CSA can confirm receiving correspondence from British Member of Parliament Lord Peter Hain urging South Africa to boycott its fixture against Afghanistan at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Tournament scheduled to be staged in Pakistan in February.