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UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer: South Africa’s sports minister Gayton McKenzie has urged the Proteas to boycott their 2025 ICC Champions Trophy game against Afghanistan due to the Taliban government’s ban on women’s sports and disbanding the women’s cricket team since it came back to power in 2021.

Temba Bavuma-led South Africa will begin their 2025 Champions Trophy campaign through a Group B clash against Afghanistan at the National Stadium in Karachi, Pakistan on February 21. The two teams are in Group B alongside England and Australia.

"To be clear, the ICC has accepted the principle of equality in sport, and that member nations should be developing both male and female players. This does not happen in the case of Afghanistan, suggesting that political interference in the administration of sport is being tolerated there. In the same breath, Sri Lanka was banned in 2023 for political interference.