England captain Jos Buttler admits 'sadness' for Afghanistan women ahead of crucial Champions Trophy clash ()
<iframe frameborder="0" height="100%" scrolling="no" src="https://www.gbnews.com/res/scraper/embed/?video_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmm-v2.simplestream.com%2Fiframe%2Fplayer.php%3Fkey%3D3Li3Nt2Qs8Ct3Xq9Fi5Uy0Mb2Bj0Qs%26player%3DGB003%26uvid%3D52795578%26type%3Dvod%26viously_id%3DJIURogBNGps" width="100%"></iframe><br/><p class="">England face a critical Champions Trophy clash against Afghanistan on Wednesday with Jos Buttler's captaincy hanging in the balance while he also spoke out on women's rights in the Taliban-occupied country.</p><p>The match in Lahore has become a must-win encounter for England following their opening defeat to Australia.</p><h3></h3><br/><p>Buttler's side have lost five consecutive ODIs, part of a dismal run that has seen them surrender both white-ball World Cups.</p><p>England's recent form has been nothing short of disastrous, with 17 losses in their last 24 ODIs.<br/></p><h3></h3><br><img alt="Jos Buttler" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="13cd4b698bed97caa8a357c0d3db165b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="e2ec2" loading="lazy" src="https://www.gbnews.com/media-library/jos-buttler.jpg?id=56590143&width=980"/><p>Buttler has won just 12 of 33 matches as permanent captain since replacing Eoin Morgan in 2022.</p><p>This alarming decline has seen England relinquish both their 50-over and T20 World Cup titles in quick succession.<br/></p><h3></h3><br><div class="embed-mostread"></div><p>After last year's failures, Buttler admitted he feared being sacked by Rob Key, England's director of men's cricket.</p><p>Afghanistan will be a particularly dangerous opponent, having shocked England with a 69-run victory in their last 50-over meeting at the 2023 World Cup.</p><p>That historic first win over England saw Afghanistan's spinners dominate, with Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman sharing six wickets.</p><p>While Mujeeb is absent from the current squad, Rashid and left-arm wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad remain significant threats.</p><h3></h3><br/><div class="embed-dontmiss"></div><p>The match has been overshadowed by political controversy regarding women's rights in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.</p><p>Female participation in sport has effectively been outlawed since the Taliban took power in 2021, with restrictions also placed on women working and girls' education.</p><p>A group of 160 British MPs urged England to boycott the fixture, with ECB chair Richard Thompson describing the situation as "gender apartheid".</p><p>Buttler addressed the controversy directly on the eve of the match, acknowledging the difficult situation in Afghanistan.</p><p>"We're very saddened by the plight of women and girls in Afghanistan at the moment and the struggles that they are facing," he said.<br/></p><h3></h3><br><img alt="Afghanistan" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bb2b794cec0997dfed7581d7ebb6e88d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="a90ff" loading="lazy" src="https://www.gbnews.com/media-library/afghanistan.jpg?id=56590148&width=980"/><p>"But we hope that the game tomorrow can be a source of hope and enjoyment in what's obviously a tough time."</p><p>Tuesday's washout between Australia and South Africa has clarified England's path forward in the tournament.</p><p>Barring further rain affecting Group B, England must win their final two matches to guarantee a semi-final place.</p><p>The draw means England can avoid net run-rate calculations if they secure victories against both Afghanistan and South Africa.</p><p>A defeat, however, would see Buttler's men eliminated at the earliest opportunity.</p><p><strong>LATEST SPORTS NEWS:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.gbnews.com/sport/other-sport/travis-kelce-bonus-retirement-taylor-swift" target="_self">Travis Kelce 'in line to pocket staggering bonus' after Taylor Swift's stance on retirement emerged</a></li><li><a href="https://www.gbnews.com/sport/darts/luke-littler-makes-change-prize-money-darts" target="_self">Luke Littler decides to make change after winning £500,000</a></li><li><a href="https://www.gbnews.com/sport/football/joey-barton-roy-keane-fighting" target="_self">Joey Barton goes after Roy Keane and says former football star 'crossed a threshold' - 'We're fighting'</a></li><li></li></ul><h3></h3><br/><img alt="Jos Buttler" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0cc2f59f7c108748b2a6555abbb8a637" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="0df3f" loading="lazy" src="https://www.gbnews.com/media-library/jos-buttler.jpg?id=56590156&width=980"/><p>England will make just one change from their defeat to Australia, with Jamie Overton replacing injured fast bowler Brydon Carse.</p><p>Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed has been ratified as Carse's replacement but will only arrive in Pakistan on Wednesday morning.</p><p>Afghanistan are expected to field the same XI that lost to South Africa, with captain Hashmatullah Shahidi noting that "the England team struggles a bit against spinners".</p><p>Buttler candidly admitted the high personal stakes ahead of the Afghanistan clash.</p><p>"Any time as an England captain, you want to perform well and you want to lead your team to winning games of cricket," he said.</p><p>"As soon as you catch yourself thinking about any negative things, you try to completely flip that and focus on all the positive things that could go right."</p></br></br></br>
