Ireland’s plan to organize a complete one-day international series for its men’s cricket team against Afghanistan this summer may jeopardize their chances of securing lucrative future matches with England.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has expressed dissatisfaction with this series, which is set to commence on Wednesday. The ECB has opted not to engage in matches against Afghanistan outside of International Cricket Council (ICC) global events, citing concerns about the “gender apartheid” imposed by the Taliban regime, as described by ECB chair Richard Thompson.
This stance is supported by the UK government; however, Cricket Ireland has chosen a different path. They have established strong ties with the Afghanistan Cricket Board and have arranged to host five one-day internationals this month, all scheduled to take place in Northern Ireland. In return, Ireland is set to visit Afghanistan next March for a series that includes one Test match, three one-day internationals, and three T20 games.
England previously played a single Test against Ireland at Lord’s in preparation for their home series in both 2019 and 2023, but for the upcoming year, the ECB has decided to schedule a warm-up Test against Bangladesh instead.
Last year, England faced Afghanistan in a Champions Trophy group match in Lahore, following a special ECB board meeting that approved the fixture. This decision faced significant backlash from a coalition of 160 MPs who jointly urged the ECB to withdraw from the match.
Despite this, the ECB has ruled out any future bilateral cricket matches with Afghanistan. Instead, they organized a tour for the Afghan Refugee Women’s team to England and invited them to attend the T20 World Cup final at Lord’s. Following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, most Afghanistan women players have relocated to Australia as they can no longer participate in sports.
Currently, Afghanistan stands as the only ICC full member without a women’s cricket program, although the governing body has not imposed a ban on them. Other nations, including Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand, have also declined to play Afghanistan in bilateral series. In contrast, Ireland joins teams like West Indies, Zimbabwe, and the four Asian ICC full members in providing fixtures to Afghanistan.
The relationship between the ECB and Cricket Ireland has been precarious for some time. England declined an invitation to participate in a proposed Euro Nations Cup tournament next year, which would also feature Scotland, the Netherlands, and Italy, due to their crowded schedule.
While England’s men played three T20 internationals in Ireland last September, the ECB fielded a second-string team, and there are currently no additional matches scheduled. However, England’s women are set to host Ireland next month for a series of three one-day internationals.
