Ollie Pope has withdrawn from the draft for the inaugural Afghanistan Premier League, which is scheduled to be played in the United Arab Emirates later this year. The Surrey batter had been the only centrally contracted England player in contention for the tournament.
The decision came after England director of cricket Rob Key said players would legally be difficult to stop from joining the competition. English players would need a No Objection Certificate from the England and Wales Cricket Board, and Pope’s contract would have brought Key into the decision over his availability. Pope’s withdrawal was made independently of Key’s view, with the draft due to take place later this month.
Key said the issue had become a moral judgment for players. He told Pope that he would not play himself, but said each player had to decide whether to take what he considered the right moral stance. The board has refused to schedule bilateral cricket with Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
The debate intensified before England’s meeting with Afghanistan at the 2025 Champions Trophy, when Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi called for a boycott because women and girls in Afghanistan are denied equal rights and the country’s women’s cricket team lives in exile. Former England batter Dawid Malan, who remains in the APL draft alongside Moeen Ali, James Vince and James Rew, said players had to balance moral concerns with the need to earn a living. Dean Ahmad, an agent for Moeen, argued that condemning cricketers while governments and corporations maintain ties with countries accused of serious abuses risked becoming selective outrage.