Pope pulls out of controversial Afghanistan T20 league

England batter Ollie Pope has pulled out of the draft for the Afghanistan Premier League.

Pope had been due to be the only centrally contracted England player in the running for the inaugural edition of the APL, which is set to take place in the United Arab Emirates later this year.

On Monday, when England's latest batch of contracts were confirmed, director of cricket Rob Key said he would not play in the APL but it is "legally hard" to prevent England players from taking part.

In order for any English player to take part in the league they would require a No Objection Certificate from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

With batter Pope being a contracted player, Key would have been involved in deciding the Surrey man's availability for the APL.

However, it is understood Pope has taken the decision to withdraw from the draft taking place later this month independently of Key's view on the competition.

"Legally it is hard to stop players going over and playing in these competitions," Key told the Test Match Special podcast. "It becomes a moral judgement and players have to be prepared to take the right moral stance.

"Personally, and it is easy for me to say, I would not go and play. But it is down to the player to make that decision."

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The ECB has refused to schedule bilateral cricket with Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in the country in 2021.

Last year, ECB chair Richard Thompson described the Taliban's oppression of women and girls as "gender apartheid".

England have, however, continued to play against Afghanistan at global events, including World Cups in both limited-overs formats and the Champions Trophy.

"I don't agree with the way women have been treated in Afghanistan," said Key. "The way things happen out there is not something I agree with so it is not something I would go and do."

Pope has been handed a new 12-month England contract despite not playing international cricket since the third Ashes Test in Australia last December.

He was recalled to the Test squad for the series against Pakistan in the home summer and has stood in as captain on six occasions, including against India at The Oval in 2025.

When asked if he had made his feelings clear to Pope, Key replied: "I had that conversation and Ollie will have to make his decision."

Before England's last meeting with Afghanistan, at the 2025 Champions Trophy, Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi led calls for the fixture to be boycotted.

In September, she told BBC Sport: "Why are we here again? Women and girls in Afghanistan are denied the same rights as those in our country, and the women's team lives in exile," she said.

"Does that not concern the players, especially those with daughters, sisters or mothers?

"I hope the International Cricket Council (ICC) refuses to sanction this event. Continuing to allow Afghanistan full member status makes a mockery of its own membership criteria."

Former England batter Dawid Malan is entered into the APL draft, alongside the likes of Moeen Ali, James Vince and James Rew – Somerset's Rew made his Test debut in June.

"As players we take our guidance from the ICC and the boards," Malan told the TMS podcast.

"As a player it is tough because you have what is morally right and what is by the law. I have a daughter and I want her to play sport and get into sport and enjoy it. I fully understand the argument, but at the end of the day I am a cricketer and need to be able to pay my rent and be able to earn a living while I can.

"England don't play bilateral series against Afghanistan, but they do play them in World Cups – what's the difference? As players, you sometimes want a board decision to be made that says 'we don't think this is right, we are making a stance against it', then the players will buy into it.

"I don't think anyone agrees with what is happening in Afghanistan, but once something gets approved you sit there as players and say: 'It's a job, and I have to play and do what I need to do', then you're stuck in a position of what is morally right and what is morally not."

On Friday, Dean Ahmad, an agent who represents ex-England all-rounder Moeen, wrote on X: "Morality in sport matters, but so does consistency.

"The Taliban's treatment of women is indefensible. Yet why are cricketers singled out while governments and corporations maintain ties with states accused of serious human rights abuses. Selective outrage isn't morality."