Nov. 10 — Cricket Scotland has formally decided to restrict bilateral cricketing engagements with Afghanistan, announcing it will decline any self-initiated bilateral series or fixtures in direct protest of the Taliban regime’s systematic human rights violations and the suppression of women’s sports.
In a policy statement released on Monday, the Scottish governing body outlined that its national team will only contest fixtures against Afghanistan when formally mandated under International Cricket Council (ICC) regulations, such as scheduled global tournaments and sanctioned official warm-up matches. The board affirmed that independent bilateral hosting and tours will remain suspended until verifiable and meaningful progress is achieved regarding the status of women’s cricket and human rights in Afghanistan.
The two sides last met in a competitive international fixture during the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, subsequently playing each other only in official ICC warm-up encounters ahead of the 2024 and 2026 T20 World Cups.
The policy shift follows an internal review initiated last summer regarding bilateral arrangements with the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB). That review was prompted after the ACB requested access to training facilities in Scotland ahead of a tour of Ireland, alongside preliminary discussions exploring the potential involvement of Scottish cricketers in the proposed Afghanistan Premier League (APL).
While scaling back state-level bilateral fixtures, Cricket Scotland clarified that it will not impose blanket prohibitions on individual players seeking commercial opportunities in overseas franchise leagues. Following last week’s APL draft, top-order batter George Munsey emerged as the sole Scottish player selected. The governing body confirmed that a No Objection Certificate (NOC) will be issued to Munsey provided the tournament secures formal ICC sanctioning.
“The board remains committed to fulfilling its contractual responsibilities toward contracted athletes,” Cricket Scotland stated. “However, the granting of an NOC to an individual player must not be construed as institutional endorsement of Afghanistan’s ruling authorities or their social and political policies.”
Source: Cricket Scotland Official Policy Statement & International Cricket Dispatches