Cricket's Big Three Member Plans To Boycott Ireland For Hosting Afghanistan

Big 3 member against Ireland [Source: AFP, X]

Cricket Ireland seems to have turned many heads by agreeing to host Afghanistan for a five-match ODI series. Apart from facing protesters over the series within its own country, the cricket board might also find itself at a crossroads with the England-based England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

It is worth noting that the ECB is also a member of Cricket’s Big Three, alongside Australia’s Cricket Australia (CA) and India’s all-powerful Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Making a potential adversary of any of the three ‘big’ boards will surely not bode well for Ireland in the long run.

England unhappy with Ireland for hosting Afghanistan

According to The Guardian, the ECB is understood to be unhappy with Cricket Ireland for hosting an ODI series against Afghanistan. The report also indicates that hosting Afghanistan might cost Ireland its future international fixtures with England, which also happens to be one of cricket’s three biggest active members alongside India and Australia.

ECB’s stance against Ireland follows England’s own refusal to play Afghanistan in any form of bilateral series. 

Cricket Ireland braces for fallout from ECB, faces backlash within country 

Cricket Ireland has seemingly developed close ties with the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in recent years. The upcoming five-match ODI series marks Ireland’s fifth home assignment against Afghanistan in the last 10 years. 

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While Ireland has also held close cricketing ties with the UK government-backed ECB, its decision to host Afghanistan might well strain that relationship. 

It is worth noting that England has previously hosted Ireland for a one-off Test as preparation for both the 2019 and 2023 Ashes series at home. However, the ECB has opted for a Test match against Bangladesh next year as a lead-up to the 2027 Ashes series. 

Many fans and cricket experts are viewing England’s decision to choose Bangladesh as a sign of the ECB’s response to Ireland for getting close with Afghanistan.

If reports are true, Cricket Ireland can brace itself for a potentially strained relationship with the ECB and the loss of future bilateral opportunities against England. 

Notably, Cricket Ireland is also facing resistance from its own countrymen in recent weeks. Several protesting and human rights bodies in Ireland have expressed their displeasure against Cricket Ireland for hosting Afghanistan, a country overrun by the Taliban government. 

In a bid to tackle expected protests, Cricket Ireland has already drawn up appropriate security plans for the impending ODI series. 

Why is ECB protesting against Afghanistan cricket?

ECB chairman Richard Thompson, along with several England officials and former cricketers, has cited the Taliban’s treatment of women and the regime’s alleged “gender apartheid” as the primary reason behind England’s refusal to entertain Afghanistan.

Back in early 2025, when England took on Afghanistan in a 2025 ICC Champions Trophy game in Pakistan, the ECB was strongly criticised by a cross-party group of 160 MPs. 

It is worth noting that despite facing threats from certain politicians and from several England supporters, the ECB has never shied away from facing Afghanistan in multi-nation ICC tournaments like World Cups and the Champions Trophy.

The ECB is not the only board that has objected to entertaining Afghanistan for bilateral fixtures. Cricket Australia also holds a similar sentiment and has previously cancelled its commitments against the war-torn Asian country. 

With two of cricket’s ‘Big Three’ standing for basic women’s rights in Afghanistan, Cricket Ireland could find itself increasingly isolated if it continues to strengthen its bilateral ties with the Afghanistan Cricket Board. 

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