Players can opt out of Afghanistan series – WestImage source, Cricket IrelandImage caption, Graeme West was appointed director of high performance seven months agoPublished39 minutes agoCricket Ireland’s Graeme West says players have the option of not playing against Afghanistan this summer.The director of high performance was speaking after Cricket Ireland declared that the men’s team will play the Afghans in five one-day internationals in Bready in August.Female participation in sport has effectively been outlawed since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.Last year, England played Afghanistan in a Champions Trophy match despite calls for a boycott.
When asked if Cricket Ireland would respect a player’s decision not to play in such a fixture, West stated: “I think you have to – we’ve had conversations with the male and female teams, just 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’s an understanding.”
