England's upcoming Champions Trophy cricket match against Afghanistan should go ahead despite calls for a boycott over the Taliban's treatment of women, according to a senior British government minister.

Olympian Sharron Davies joins chorus of MPs calling for game to be called off because of the Taliban's treatment of women

Those involved with England at the 2003 World Cup will feel a sense of unease at history repeating itself as the pressure mounts for a boycott of the Afghanistan fixture at next month’s Champions Trophy.

A group of British lawmakers urged England to boycott their Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan next month, saying the country's cricket board (ECB) needed to take a stand against the Taliban's crackdown on women.

England's men's should play against Afghanistan, despite calls for a boycott in response to the Taliban regime's assault on women's rights, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy says.

MPs and peers have called for the ECB to boycott the fixture in objection to the Taliban’s ongoing assault on women’s rights in the country.