Ireland Players Given Option to Opt Out of Afghanistan ODI Series

Cricket Ireland will allow players to opt out of Afghanistan ODI series due to gender concerns, while confirming matches will proceed despite moral discomfort.

Ireland’s High Performance director Graeme West confirmed players can opt out of the Afghanistan ODI series. The five ODIs will take place in August in Bready, Northern Ireland.

Cricket Ireland is planning to proceed despite concerns over women’s rights. Female participation in Afghanistan has remained banned since 2021. Officials held discussions with both men’s and women’s squads and the players expressed mixed views on the situation. The management has decided to respect individual choices.

“I think you have to. We have had conversations with both the men’s and women’s teams to gauge opinion. There are concerns, as you would anticipate, but when we had similar conversations with the board and considered all the factors, there is an understanding,” West said.

Decision Not Unanimous Among Board Members

Cricket Ireland CEO Sarah Keane also highlighted concerns over hosting Afghanistan. She had taken charge earlier this month as the first permanent female CEO of an ICC full member. The board held a 90-minute meeting last week to decide on the series. Members debated the issue in detail before voting. The decision to proceed was approved, but not unanimously.

Keane pointed to challenges faced by women in Afghanistan since 2021. She then noted the board includes 40% women. However, officials chose to honour full member responsibilities.

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“I want to acknowledge upfront the moral discomfort that I think we all sit with around this decision and how the regime treats women in particular. Forty per cent of our board are women, the overall decision was that we would play Afghanistan and take our obligations as a full member very seriously,” she said.

Notably, England had also faced Afghanistan last year despite boycott calls.