Jos Buttler, England's captain, said that his team were "very saddened" by the situation faced by women and girls in Afghanistan, which the ECB described as "gender apartheid" when confirming earlier this month that Wednesday's game will go ahead.

Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi has expressed his support for Afghan women to play cricket but mentioned that the situation is beyond his control. Speaking ahead of Afghanistan’s crucial ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match against England, Shahidi pointed out that his team’s focus is on cricket and their performances on the field.

Afghanistan cricket team captain Hashmatullah Shahidi has backed Afghan women's right to play the sport. However, he stressed that the matter was out of his hands. Shahidi's remarks came during a training session ahead of Afghanistan's ICC Champions Trophy match against England in Lahore on Wednesday.

Afghanistan men’s cricket team captain Hashmatullah Shahidi made it clear on Tuesday that women in his country should be allowed to play the game though he said it was beyond his control in a nation governed by strict religious laws.

While expressing his support for Afghanistan's women's cricket rights, Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi reaffirmed that "we cannot control" the issue.

Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi has expressed his support for Afghan women's rights to play cricket but also acknowledged that they can only control things on the ground, not politics. Since the Taliban took control in Afghanistan in 2021,