'Led by the experts': England captain Jos Buttler reacts to Afghanistan boycott pleas

Jos Buttler doesn't believe boycotting an upcoming match against Afghanistan is "the way to go about it" despite calls from the England government.

Nearly 200 politicians signed a latter that was sent to the ECB ahead of the Champions Trophy next month, calling for the team to pull out of the fixture.

The plea comes due to the Taliban regime's assault on women's rights, which includes banning female participation in sport since 2021.

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Speaking after being named as skipper for the tournament, Buttler treaded carefully but hopes to see the side's group stage match on February 26 go ahead as planned.

"I don't think a boycott is the way to go about it," he said.

"As a player you're trying to be as informed as you can be. The experts know a lot more about it, so I've been trying to stay in dialogue with the guys above.

"The players haven't really worried too much about it. These things, you're trying to educate yourself and read up on these things. I'm led by those experts.

"But certainly as a player, you don't want political situations to affect sport. We hope to go to the Champions Trophy and play that game and have a really good tournament."

Australia are also scheduled to play against Afghanistan in the one-day tournament.

It comes as plans ramp up for a match between an Afghanistan women's team against a Cricket Without Borders XI at Melbourne's Junction Oval.