Ireland’s decision to stage a full men's one-day international (ODI) series against Afghanistan this summer has raised tensions with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), potentially jeopardizing future fixtures between England and Ireland.
The series, set to begin this week and played entirely in Northern Ireland, features five ODIs. Cricket Ireland has also planned a tour of Afghanistan in March next year, including one Test match, three ODIs, and three Twenty20 internationals. These moves reflect a growing partnership between Cricket Ireland and the Afghanistan Cricket Board.
However, the ECB has expressed strong reservations about scheduling matches against Afghanistan outside of International Cricket Council (ICC) global tournaments. England’s refusal to arrange bilateral series with Afghanistan is based on concerns over the Taliban’s governance, which ECB chair Richard Thompson described as “gender apartheid.” This policy is supported by the UK government, and other ICC full members such as Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand have also declined to engage in bilateral games with Afghanistan following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 and the subsequent ban on female sport in the country.
Afghanistan remains the only ICC full member without a women’s cricket program. Despite this, the ICC has not imposed a ban on Afghanistan’s participation in international cricket. Ireland, alongside the West Indies, Zimbabwe, and the four Asian full-member nations, continues to grant fixtures to Afghanistan.
The ECB’s stance on playing Afghanistan has resulted in a more cautious approach to fixtures involving Ireland. While England’s men featured in a Test match against Ireland at Lord’s in preparations for the 2019 and 2023 home series, the ECB announced a warmup Test against Bangladesh for the next summer instead of a match in Ireland. Last year, England met Afghanistan in a Champions Trophy group game in Lahore after an ECB board approval, but this match was met with criticism from a cross-party group of 160 UK Members of Parliament.
In an effort to support Afghan cricket amid the restrictions on women’s sport, the ECB has hosted the Afghan Refugee Women’s team during their tour of England this summer and extended an invitation for them to attend the T20 World Cup final at Lord’s. Most of the Afghan women players fled their country after the Taliban takeover, with many seeking refuge in Australia.
Relations between the ECB and Cricket Ireland have been complex in recent years. England’s men played three T20 internationals in Ireland last September, but the ECB selected a second-string squad and no further fixtures are currently scheduled. The two boards will, however, meet next month when England’s women host Ireland in a three-match ODI series.