Fears over the safety of England players while in Pakistan are underpinning English cricket’s refusal to boycott next month’s Champions Trophy match against Taliban-governed Afghanistan.

England's men's players have the "power" to make their own stand and refuse to play Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy, says Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi.

A group of more than 160 British politicians have called on the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to boycott next month's Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan as a stand against the Taliban regime's assault on women's rights.

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.

Richard Gould, the ECB's chief executive, has rejected calls from a group of British politicians for England to boycott their upcoming Champions Trophy clash with Afghanistan in February, saying that the Taliban regime's clampdown on women's rights is a matter that requires a "co-ordinated,

England will not boycott their Champions Trophy game against Afghanistan. The ECB, however, reaffirmed its stand against the Taliban’s actions.

ECB rejects British politicians plea for England to boycott Afghanistan game (Photo Source: X(Twitter) A group of British politicians had urged England to boycott their upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 clash with Afghanistan in February.

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.

The British politicians urged the England players and officials to speak out against 'horrific treatment' of women in Afghanistan and boycott the clash against them in Champions Trophy 2025.