&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "ECB unhappy with Cricket Ireland for hosting Afghanistan in ODIs – Report")
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is apparently unhappy with Cricket Ireland’s (CI) decision to host Afghanistan for a five-match ODI series, starting on Wednesday (Aug 5). While the ECB has refused to play Afghanistan outside ICC events because of gender apartheid enforced by the Taliban regime, CI’s decision to welcome the Asian team for an ODI series could have repercussions and strain the relationship between the two neighbouring boards.
The Guardian has reported that this decision could affect Cricket Ireland’s future fixtures with England. Several emerging reports have also stated that Ireland's close ties with the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) led Cricket Ireland to diverge from the ECB's stance, backed by the UK government.
Ireland offered to host Afghanistan for five ODIs – all to be played in Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, as part of the reciprocal arrangement, Ireland also vowed to travel to the UAE next March for one Test, three ODIs and as many T20Is against Afghanistan.
While England and Ireland have played two one-off Test matches in 2019 and 2023, respectively, as part of their preparations for the home season, England decided to host Bangladesh next year – a decision that could be seen as a response to Ireland’s growing association with Afghanistan.
ACB under scrutiny over women’s cricket policy
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As Afghanistan remains the only full-member nation not having a women’s cricket program, countries like Australia, South Africa and even New Zealand have refused to play against them, let alone host them. However, Cricket Ireland, alongside the West Indies, Zimbabwe and the four Asian members, has granted them fixtures.
Meanwhile, last year, England and Afghanistan faced off in a Champions Trophy match in Lahore. Although that decision was strongly criticised by a cross-party group of 160 MPs, who urged the ECB to pull out of the match in a joint letter, it still went ahead following a specially convened ECB board meeting that approved the fixture.
England and Afghanistan, however, also met during the 2023 ODI World Cup group game, where the Asian powerhouse shocked the then-defending world champions with a win.
Despite placing restrictions on playing Afghanistan in a bilateral series, the ECB allows players like Rashid Khan to feature in the ECB’s premier 'The Hundred' tournament.
