South Africa’s sports minister joins growing calls for boycott of Afghanistan South Africa’s sports minister has joined calls for a boycott of Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan, adding his voice to those of British politicians who have called on England not to play them next month.
Peter Hain, the former British cabinet minister and anti-apartheid campaigner who grew up in South Africa, this week wrote to Cricket South Africa calling for the organisation to challenge the ban on women’s and girls’ cricket in Afghanistan.
The minister, Gayton McKenzie, said: “Cricket South Africa, the federations of other countries and the ICC [International Cricket Council] will have to think carefully about the message the sport of cricket wishes to send the world, and especially the women in sports.
England and South Africa share the same group with Afghanistan in the competition and are under pressure to boycott the fixtures in response to the Taliban government’s crackdown on women’s rights since returning to power in August 2021.
South Africa are scheduled to open their Champions Trophy against Afghanistan in Karachi on 21 February but McKenzie urged his country’s cricket governing body not to honour the fixture.
