Ireland risk ECB ire by agreeing to play five matches against Afghanistan

Ireland’s decision to stage a full one-day international series for their men’s team against Afghanistan this summer could cost them lucrative future fixtures against England.

The England and Wales Cricket Board is understood to be unhappy about the series, which starts on Wednesday, taking place as England refuse to play Afghanistan outside International Cricket Council global events because of what the ECB chair, Richard Thompson, has described as the “gender apartheid” of the Taliban regime.

The ECB’s policy is backed by the UK government, but Cricket Ireland has taken a different view and has developed close relations with the Afghanistan Cricket Board, offering it five one-day internationals this month, all of which will take place in Northern Ireland. In a reciprocal arrangement Ireland will tour Afghanistan next March for one Test, three one-day internationals and three T20 fixtures.

England played a one-off Test against Ireland at Lord’s as preparation for both the 2019 and 2023 home series, but the ECB has opted for a warmup Test against Bangladesh instead next year.

England’s men played Afghanistan in a Champions Trophy group game in Lahore last year after a specially convened ECB board meeting approved the fixture, which was criticised strongly by a cross-party group of 160 MPs, who had urged them to withdraw in a joint letter.

The ECB will not schedule any bilateral cricket against Afghanistan, however, and this summer organised a tour of England for the Afghan Refugee Women’s team, as well as inviting them to the T20 World Cup final at Lord’s. The Afghanistan women players fled the country with the majority relocating to Australia after the Taliban retook control in 2021 and enforced a ban on female sport.

While Afghanistan are the only ICC full member not to operate a women’s cricket programme the world governing body has not banned them. Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand also refuse to play Afghanistan in bilateral series, however, with Ireland joining West Indies, Zimbabwe and the four Asian ICC full members in granting them fixtures.

The ECB’s relationship with Cricket Ireland has been delicate for some time, as England have declined an invitation to join a proposed new Euro Nations Cup tournament also involving Scotland, the Netherlands and Italy next year due to their congested calendar.

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While England’s men played three T20 internationals in Ireland last September the ECB sent a second-string team and there are no more matches in the calendar. England’s women, however, will host Ireland in a three-match one-day international series next month.