After England, the South Africa Cricket Board has been asked to take a stand against Afghanistan Cricket considering the Taliban's oppressive nature towards women. Veteran anti-apartheid activist Peter Hain has urged Cricket South Africa (CSA) to voice their protest against the Taliban's ban on women's cricket in Afghanistan. In a letter addressed to CSA Chief Executive Pholetsi Moseki and seen by The Guardian, Hain requested CSA to challenge the issue at the International Cricket Council (ICC) before their Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan in Karachi on February 21. Hain drew a striking parallel between apartheid-era racial discrimination and the Taliban's oppression of women, highlighting the need for post-apartheid South African cricket to champion women’s rights globally. Hain wrote, “Having struggled long and hard for black and brown cricketers to represent their country like whites did exclusively for nearly a century, I hope that post-apartheid South African cricket will press for similar rights for all women in world cricket. Will South African cricket please raise the plight of Afghan women cricketers in the ICC and express firm solidarity with Afghan women and girls who wish to play?” Read also: ECB Rejects Boycott Calls for England vs Afghanistan Match Taliban Challenging Women's Rights in Afghanistan Since the Taliban's return to power in August 2021, women's freedom has been curbed to the last possible extent. They have been imposing bars on their movements, from forcing them to be covered head to toe to restricting them in different fields. Recently, they snatched away women's right to education, closing doors for them in medical studies. Afghan cricketers like Rashid and Mohammad Nabi had condemned such restrictions in the name of religion. Women earlier have been banned from participating in sports, with female athletes forced to burn their kits to avoid persecution. Afghanistan’s women’s cricket team was disbanded and is now in exile, a violation of ICC rules that require member nations to support and fund women’s cricket. Hain criticized the Taliban's systematic denial of women’s basic rights, including education, employment, and healthcare. He wrote, "Women are banned from stadiums, gyms, parks, and even prayer, their faces and voices erased from public life." Hain's letter follows a call from nearly 200 politicians, including Jeremy Corbyn and Nigel Farage, for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to boycott their Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan. However, ECB Chief Executive Richard Gould warned that such a move could further isolate Afghan society. With cricket’s global platform, Hain emphasized the urgent need to advocate for Afghan women cricketers, urging the CSA and the ICC to act decisively. Both organizations have been approached for comment.