Cricket Scotland Limits Afghanistan Fixtures to ICC Events

Cricket Scotland has announced it will not schedule fixtures against Afghanistan outside International Cricket Council events, citing the Taliban government’s treatment of women and girls. Under the new policy, Scotland will play Afghanistan only when required to do so at ICC competitions, including warm-up matches.

The decision follows a board review of Cricket Scotland’s engagement with the Afghanistan Cricket Board. It means Scotland will not proactively arrange cricket against Afghanistan unless there is what the board described as a material change in the circumstances surrounding Afghanistan women’s cricket and wider human-rights considerations.

The policy is significant because it formalises Scotland’s position on future bilateral and non-ICC engagements with Afghanistan while preserving its obligations when ICC event schedules bring the teams together. Cricket Scotland said its stance echoes approaches already taken by Cricket Australia and the ECB.

What Cricket Scotland’s new Afghanistan policy means

Scotland have not met Afghanistan in a full international since the 2021 T20 World Cup. The sides have, however, played warm-up matches before the last two T20 World Cups, in 2024 and 2026.

Cricket Scotland said it will continue to fulfil requirements set by the ICC at its events. That includes warm-up matches, meaning the policy does not amount to a complete refusal to play Afghanistan. Instead, it draws a line between fixtures mandated by the global governing body and games that Scotland could arrange independently.

The review began during the summer after Afghanistan sought to use training facilities in Scotland before its tour of Ireland. Cricket Scotland turned down that request because it was made at short notice and no suitable venues were available.

The board’s review was also prompted by an approach from the Afghanistan Cricket Board about the potential availability of Scottish players for the planned Afghanistan Premier League T20. George Munsey, an opening batter and regular on the franchise circuit, was the only Scottish player signed in the league’s draft last week.

Cricket Scotland confirmed it will issue Munsey a No-Objection Certificate if the competition receives ICC sanction. The organisation said contracted Scotland players, in both the men’s and women’s programmes, were informed about the new policy on Monday.

In its statement, Cricket Scotland said it would comply with the obligations in its player contracts. It also stressed that if an NOC is issued, a player’s participation must not be interpreted as an endorsement by Cricket Scotland of the current Afghan regime or its policies.

Women’s cricket remains central to the issue

Afghanistan received ICC Full Member status in 2017 despite not meeting the requirement to fund a women’s national team and development structures. Since the Taliban government returned to power in 2021, the situation for women and girls in Afghanistan has deteriorated significantly and has been described as gender apartheid by experts.

The question of Afghanistan women’s cricket has continued to shape the international game’s response. An Afghanistan Refugee Women’s XI, made up primarily of players based in Australia, toured England during the summer alongside the women’s T20 World Cup.

Earlier this year, the ICC put a roadmap in place that could allow the refugee team to compete in ICC events by 2030. Cricket Scotland’s decision adds another national board’s formal position to the wider discussion around Afghanistan’s place in international cricket and the absence of a women’s national programme.

For Scotland, the immediate practical outcome is clear: matches against Afghanistan will be restricted to ICC obligations, while individual player involvement in an ICC-sanctioned Afghanistan Premier League could still proceed through the normal NOC process.