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.

Richard Gould, the chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, said England will not boycott its upcoming match against Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy next month despite calls from a group of British politicians to withdraw from the event to protest the Taliban’s oppression of women’s rights.

But he suggested England would not boycott international tournament matches against Afghanistan, arguing that cricket was a “source of hope and positivity for many Afghans”. England are set to face Afghanistan in Pakistan’s Lahore on 26 February for the tournament – one of the first major championships of the year.

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.