An Open letter to the International Cricket Council
Afghanistan's participation in international cricket.
To:
Jay Shah, Chair of the International Cricket Council (ICC) enquiries@icc-cricket.com
31st December 20204.
CC:
UK Secretary of State for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) – Lisa Nandy MP. lisa.nandy.mp@parliament.uk
UK Minister for Sport – Stephanie Peacock MP. stephanie.peacock.mp@parliament.uk
UK House of Commons DCMS Committee
Caroline Dinenage MP caroline.dinenage.mp@parliament.uk
Bayo Alaba MP bayo.alaba.mp@parliament.uk
James Frith MP james.frith.mp@parliament.uk
Rupa Huq MP rupa.huq.mp@parliament.uk
Natasha Irons MP natasha.irons.mp@parliament.uk
Jo Platt MP jo.platt.mp@parliament.uk
Tom Rutland MP tom.rutland.mp@parliament.uk
Paul Waugh MP paul.waugh.mp@parliament.uk
Mims Davies MP mims.davies.mp@parliament.uk
Zöe Franklin MP zoe.franklin.mp@parliament.uk
Liz Jarvis MP liz.jarvis.mp@parliament.uk
Dear Jay.
Firstly, congratulations on your recent appointment as Chair of the ICC. I was pleased to see it reported that, during your term of office, you have promised to allocate more resources to women’s cricket.
I have been a great fan of and supporter of cricket ever since my grandparents first took me to watch Warwickshire at Edgbaston more than forty years ago. I have watched - on TV and live- a lot of men’s and women’s cricket over the years.
The ICC has membership rules in place to ensure that its members support strong women’s team as a condition of their membership.
I am concerned that the Afghanistan Cricket Board is not now holding to those conditions. I believe that the ICC must take action on this, and suspend Afghanistan’s membership, and its teams from all ICC international competitions, including the Champions Trophy to be played early next year.
It is a clear breach of your own rules that a member of the ICC can disband its women’s team and ban women from playing cricket altogether with, as yet, no consequence from the ICC.
The ICC has rules in place, now is the time to enforce them.
If you are making New Year’s resolutions today, can I suggest that one should be to make good on your promise to support women’s cricket, and to take action against the Afghanistan Cricket Board which is clearly not now complying with ICC rules.
I look forward to hearing from you and Happy New Year.
David Ward.