Ollie Pope withdraws from Afghanistan Premier League draft ahead of inaugural tournament
Ollie Pope, the England batter who has played 64 Tests, has withdrawn from the draft for the inaugural Afghanistan Premier League, with the draft due to take place later this month and the tournament scheduled to be held in the United Arab Emirates later this year.
Pope had been the only centrally contracted England player considered for the APL and was in line to require a No Objection Certificate from the England and Wales Cricket Board to participate. He has been offered a new 12-month England contract despite not featuring in international cricket since the third Ashes Test in Australia last December, and was recalled to the Test squad for the series against Pakistan in the home summer. Pope has stood in as England captain on six occasions, including against India at The Oval in 2025.
When England's latest batch of contracts were confirmed on Monday, director of cricket Rob Key said he would not play in the APL but acknowledged constraints on preventing players taking part. Key told the Test Match Special podcast: "Legally it is hard to stop players going over and playing in these competitions," and added: "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." The ECB requirement for a No Objection Certificate was reiterated as the administrative condition for English players to take part.
It is understood Pope took the decision to withdraw from the draft later this month independently of Key's view on the competition. 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."
The ECB has refused to schedule bilateral cricket with Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in the country in 2021, and 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. On the issue of women in Afghanistan Key said: "I don't agree with the way women have been treated in Afghanistan," and added: "The way things happen out there is not something I agree with so it is not something I would go and do."
Before England's last meeting with Afghanistan, at the 2025 Champions Trophy, Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi led calls for that fixture to be boycotted, telling 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," and: "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 Moeen Ali, James Vince and James Rew — Somerset's Rew made his Test debut in June — and Malan told the TMS podcast: "As players we take our guidance from the ICC and the boards," followed by: "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."
Pope's withdrawal removes him from the draft later this month, leaving the inaugural APL in the UAE later this year to proceed without his participation.
