Champions Trophy - Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi voices support for Afghan women playing cricket

Champions Trophy – Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi voices support for Afghan women playing cricket

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Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi supports women’s right to play cricket but acknowledges the situation is beyond their control. Before facing England in the Champions Trophy, Shahidi emphasized focusing on their performance on the field. His comments come amid calls from UK politicians to boycott the match over the Taliban’s refusal to allow women to play cricket. Afghanistan’s head coach Jonathan Trott also highlighted the players’ awareness of the situation. Shahidi noted Afghanistan’s struggle with batting in previous games, particularly due to unhelpful pitch conditions for spinners, while expressing hope for better support in the upcoming match.

Hashmatullah Shahidi, the captain of Afghanistan, has expressed his support for the rights of Afghan women to participate in cricket, but emphasized that it is a situation “we cannot control.” Speaking prior to a training session ahead of Afghanistan’s Champions Trophy match against England in Lahore on Wednesday, Shahidi mentioned that their focus remains on what transpires “inside the ground.”

“Everyone enjoys watching everyone play,” Shahidi remarked. “When it comes to political matters and things beyond our control, we are simply cricket players who can manage what happens on the field.”

The matter has gained prominence due to the identity of Afghanistan’s opponents. In the lead-up to this match, over 160 UK politicians urged the ECB to boycott the game against Afghanistan to protest against the Taliban government’s ban on women playing cricket. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on the ICC to “enforce their own rules,” but the ECB ultimately decided against a boycott.

However, Shahidi maintained that his and the men’s team’s focus is firmly on the upcoming match. “We are athletes. We concentrate on what we can control on the field and cannot be concerned with matters outside of it. We play hard, we train hard, and we have productive net sessions. That’s what we are focused on.”

Shahidi’s cautious but supportive stance aligns with other prominent Afghan cricketers who have advocated for women’s rights in Afghanistan. Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi were especially vocal late last year, speaking out following the ban on women training as doctors.

Earlier on Tuesday, Jonathan Trott, Afghanistan’s head coach, told the BBC that the men’s cricketers understand that what is happening is “not right.”

“These players are courageous,” he said. “They recognize the difference between right and wrong. It’s a challenging situation for them. They understand who they are representing and playing for. We strive to bring joy to the country, and the players feel passionate, brave, and proud to do so, even while knowing there are injustices present.”

The match between Afghanistan and England is essentially a knockout affair, with either team’s defeat putting them on the verge of an early exit. Afghanistan lost their opening match to South Africa, while England fell to Australia. Shahidi acknowledged that chasing targets is not Afghanistan’s strongest suit but noted that the pitch in Karachi has not favored spin bowlers.

“I think batting first gives us a better chance,” he said. “However, we have also succeeded in the last World Cup while batting second. In the game against South Africa, the wicket seemed to favor fast bowlers more, and our spinners found no assistance. I didn’t see a single ball turn. So, we didn’t perform well; particularly at the start of our batting. While it’s not an excuse, it’s known worldwide that we have quality spinners. I didn’t see any support for them, but hopefully, we’ll see better conditions for our spinners in tomorrow’s match.”

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