Eight English cricketers, including Moeen Ali and Alex Hales, are set to participate in the inaugural Afghanistan Premier League (APL) T20, but their participation hinges on an ICC sanction that has yet to be secured.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) appears prepared to issue No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) for the APL, albeit reluctantly. This stance is partly to prevent possible legal challenges related to trade restrictions. Rob Key, Managing Director of England Cricket, previously urged players to consider “the right moral stance,” revealing he would abstain from participating in light of Afghanistan’s societal issues, particularly regarding women’s rights. Nonetheless, any NOC approvals depend on ICC’s official sanction of the league. We understand the APL has yet to obtain this. The sanctioning process, which involves assessing standards related to anti-corruption and anti-doping, is still ongoing.
The prospect of the APL receiving sanction remains uncertain. For a domestic event to gain ICC approval, full franchise ownership details must be provided. Currently, only three APL franchises have been secured, with two—’Team Paktia’ and ‘Team Balkh’—still bearing provisional names following the draft.
Upon retiring from international cricket, Moeen Ali has remained active in the franchise circuit.ICC sanctions can often be last-minute decisions, reminiscent of the European T20 Premier League’s recent experience, where approval was granted mere days before commencement.
Ollie Pope, Will Smeed, and David Willey all withdrew from the APL draft following criticisms. Tonia Antoniazzi, a Labour MP previously vocal against playing Afghanistan, advised players to contemplate the broader implications of joining the league.
Despite the controversy, eight English names were announced at Tuesday’s draft: Hales, Moeen, Joe Clarke, Tymal Mills, Olly Stone, Luke Wood, Tom Moores, and Chris Wood. None of these players hold central contracts with the ECB. Mohammad Amir, now a British citizen, also secured a deal after entering the draft.
The ECB maintains its stance against bilateral fixtures with Afghanistan due to the country’s current regime’s treatment of women, a situation labelled “gender apartheid” by UN experts. The exiled Afghanistan women’s team recently toured England, seeking increased recognition and support.
Further English influence came through Eoin Morgan, former England captain, who participated in the draft’s broadcast as a pundit. Morgan described the draft as “an exciting day, the start of a new journey that I’m looking forward to.”
Scotland player George Munsey was also picked in the draft, with Cricket Scotland likely to align with the ECB’s NOC policy.
Set to begin on December 27, the APL—sponsored by the Afghanistan Cricket Board, Trans Group, and ITW Universe—will initially be hosted in the UAE, though future plans include matches at Kabul’s international stadium.
Notably, there were eleventh-hour captaincy changes in two franchises. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was reassigned from Nangarhar Cosmic to lead Team Paktia, with Rahmat Shah heading the opposite direction. This captaincy swap, confirmed via social media, left Team Nangarhar’s ambassador, Mark Boucher, perplexed. He remarked, “It’s a dynamic that I don’t get involved in. It’s above my pay grade. I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes… Your guess is as good as mine.”
The APL draft has thus left many awaiting the next chapters in this newly unfolded cricketing venture.
