England batter Ollie Pope has withdrawn his name from the Afghanistan Premier League draft, stepping away from a T20 event that has sparked fierce debate.
England batter Ollie Pope has removed himself from the player draft for the Afghanistan Premier League, ending any chance of him featuring in the T20 tournament. The move comes as the league faces scrutiny well beyond the boundary rope.
The competition has been controversial because of wider concerns about the Taliban's restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan, including their exclusion from cricket. That backdrop has made the idea of overseas stars signing up a sensitive one, and every big-name entry tends to draw attention.
Pope is one of England's most recognisable red-ball batters, so his name on a draft list was always going to get noticed. His exit is a reputational blow for a league trying to attract global talent and credibility as it builds its profile in the franchise T20 market.
Pope hasn't been widely reported as laying out a long, detailed explanation, so the reasons will probably be debated. What is clear is that the Afghanistan Premier League remains a flashpoint, and the pressure on players who consider taking part is unlikely to ease.
