Please don’t throw Jos Buttler under bus over Afghanistan issue – Steve Harmison
The ECB has been urged to make a stand against the Taliban regime’s assault on women’s rights.
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Your support makes all the difference.Steve Harmison insists England captain Jos Buttler must not be “thrown under the bus” amid mounting pressure to boycott next month’s Champions Trophy game against Afghanistan.
A cross-party group of more than 160 MPs and peers signed a letter urging the England and Wales Cricket Board to make a stand against the Taliban regime’s assault on women’s rights by forfeiting next month’s clash in Lahore.
The ECB is resisting the idea of unilateral action, with chief executive Richard Gould advocating for a collective response from counterparts at the International Cricket Council.
A spokesman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said responsibility lies with the ICC, which has the power to suspend Afghanistan following its abolition of female sport, but Harmison worries history will repeat itself by placing Buttler at the heart of the debate.
Harmison was part of the England side that were pressed to boycott a game against Zimbabwe at the 2003 World Cup in protest at Robert Mugabe’s reign. The squad eventually refused to travel after receiving death threats from dissidents, but only after captain Nasser Hussain was left to steer his team-mates to a decision over four agonising days in Cape Town.
It is understood the ECB is mindful of the potential security implications of a boycott should it attract a response from Taliban supporters.
“The one thing I will say is just please don’t throw Jos Buttler under the bus, like Nasser got thrown under,” the former pace bowler told Global Player’s Sports Agents podcast.
“Nasser, he wasn’t just thrown under the bus, he was reversed, backed over. We got our lives threatened. Sportsmen and women should not be involved on the political side.
“Don’t put Jos in this position, he really doesn’t need that and the England cricket team doesn’t need that. If the ICC want to have a go with Afghanistan, that’s their fight – it’s not the England captain’s fight. Don’t put him under that pressure.”
Go and have a word with your boss (Prime Minister Keir Starmer) and tell them to stop England from going, that's where it has to come from. It hasn't got to come from a player
Harmison also gave short shrift to the letter from Westminster, authored by Labour backbencher Tonia Antoniazzi, suggesting she should look within her own party for answers rather than towards the ECB.
He said: “Go and have a word with your boss (Starmer) and tell them to stop England from going, that’s where it has to come from. It hasn’t got to come from a player. She said sportsmen and women are powerful… governments are more powerful.”
South Africa are also due to face Afghanistan at the Champions Trophy and shared England’s current stance.
Confirming it had received correspondence from former MP Lord Hain, a staunch anti-apartheid campaigner in the 1970s and an advocate of boycotting Afghanistan, Cricket South Africa president Rihan Richards said: “We are of the view that a more unified and collective approach from all ICC members will be more impactful.
“CSA is committed and will continue to engage in constructive dialogue with the ICC and other members to find a solution that upholds women’s cricket in Afghanistan and influence meaningful change in that country.”