England players told to think of 'daughters, sisters or mothers' before committing to Afghanistan Premier League T20 tournament

- Published English cricketers aiming to play in a men's T20 franchise tournament organised by the Afghanistan Cricket Board have been urged to think about their "daughters, sisters or mothers". The inaugural edition of the Afghanistan Premier League (APL) will be staged in the United Arab Emirates later this year. England players Ollie Pope and Luke Wood have both registered for the tournament draft, held in October, along with fellow Englishmen Moeen Ali, Reece Topley, James Vince, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Laurie Evans.

Their involvement comes despite the England and Wales Cricket Board's (ECB) refusal to schedule bilateral men's cricket against Afghanistan because of the Taliban's treatment of women and girls. The ECB's policy does not extend to franchise tournaments, meaning players can decide for themselves whether to participate.