Why Ollie Pope Pulled Out of the Afghanistan Premier League Draft

Dr. Annelies De Vos · 2026-10-13

Ollie Pope did something on October 12, 2026, that surprised a lot of people. He pulled his name out of the very first Afghanistan Premier League (APL) T20 draft. The reason? A growing public backlash over human rights concerns in Afghanistan. This wasn't some quiet move made in the shadows. It happened right before the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) released its latest central contract list. And Pope wasn't the only one. Two other English cricketers, Will Smeed and David Willey, also withdrew from the draft at the same time. ### The Tournament Itself The APL is a brand-new five-team franchise tournament. Organizers plan to run it in the United Arab Emirates, starting December 27, 2026. So it's not even being played in Afghanistan, but the connection to the country's current regime is what sparked the controversy. ### Pope's Decision and His Cricket Record Pope entered the draft as the only centrally contracted England player. That detail matters because it put a spotlight on him. According to reports, sports agents often sign players up for overseas leagues without the player even knowing. So it's possible Pope never intended to be in the draft in the first place. But let's not forget what he brings to the game. Pope has played 64 Test matches for England. He's captained the Test side six times, including against India at The Oval in 2025. The ECB picked him for the summer Test series against Pakistan. His last international appearance was in the third Ashes Test in Australia in December. Pope made his choice to step away from the draft before board officials said anything publicly on Monday morning. That timing suggests he wanted to get ahead of the story, not react to it. ### The ECB's Hands Are Tied Rob Key, the ECB's managing director of men's cricket, spoke about the issue on the BBC's Test Match Special podcast. He explained that UK employment laws make it hard for the board to block players from joining overseas leagues. In short, restraint of trade legislation prevents the ECB from legally stopping anyone. Key said English players have to make their own moral judgments. He also admitted he wouldn't play in the tournament himself, citing the treatment of women in Afghanistan. Any English cricketer who wants to play overseas needs a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the ECB. ECB chairman Richard Thompson said last week that board members need to think very carefully before handing out NOCs for the APL. Thompson has previously called the Taliban's treatment of female citizens "gender apartheid." The ECB hasn't scheduled any bilateral series against Afghanistan since the Taliban took power in 2021. But England still plays Afghanistan in ICC global events like the World Cup and the Champions Trophy. That inconsistency is a big part of the debate. ### Other Players Are Staying In Not everyone followed Pope's lead. Former England top-order batter Dawid Malan confirmed he's still available for the draft. On the Test Match Special podcast, Malan said players follow official guidance from the ICC and national boards. Malan also pointed out something that's hard to argue with: he has a young daughter and wants her to play sports, but he also needs to earn a living as a professional athlete. He questioned why boards allow national teams to face Afghanistan in World Cups but then criticize franchise cricket. Other English players still in the draft include Moeen Ali, James Vince, and Somerset batter James Rew. Dean Ahmad, a sports agent representing Moeen Ali, defended the players in a post on X. > "Morality in sport matters, but so does consistency. The Taliban's treatment of women is indefensible. Yet why are cricketers singled out while governments and corporations maintain ties with states accused of serious human rights abuses? Selective outrage isn't morality." That quote sums up the tension perfectly. It's not about whether the Taliban's actions are wrong. It's about who gets held accountable and who doesn't. ### What This Means Going Forward The APL will still happen. The UAE will host it. Players will participate. But Pope's withdrawal shows that public pressure can influence individual decisions, even when the rules allow something. The bigger question is whether cricket as a whole can find a consistent moral stance. Right now, it looks like players are left to figure that out on their own.