Ollie Pope has removed his name from the October 24, 2026, Afghanistan Premier League T20 draft. As concerns over English players’ possible participation in the tournament grew, Will Smeed and David Willey separately announced their own withdrawals.
Ollie Pope made the choice prior to Rob Key, the managing director of men’s cricket at the ECB, speaking out about it on Monday morning. Key asked English players to think about the moral implications of their decisions. It is difficult to prevent players from participating in these competitions legally. It turns into a moral decision, and players must be ready to adopt the proper moral position. It’s easy for me to say that I wouldn’t go and play in it, but ultimately, it’s up to the player to decide,” Key stated.
Ollie Pope recently committed to a new one-year central contract and was England’s captain as recently as last summer
The ECB was ready to release No-Objection Certificates for the APL despite the board’s long-standing practice of declining bilateral matches against Afghanistan—a position taken in reaction to the Afghan government’s limitations on women’s athletic participation. The discrepancy between those two viewpoints garnered a lot of public attention and prompted concerns about the board’s consistency.
Since agents frequently enter players into franchise league drafts without their direct involvement, it’s possible that some players were unaware of their registration until public criticism emerged. Tonia Antoniazzi, a Labor MP, was one of those who expressed concern; her remarks heightened the political aspect of the discussion.
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On December 27, 2026, the APL is scheduled to begin in the United Arab Emirates; however, the competition’s sustainability is still uncertain. Only three of the five planned teams have reportedly been sold; one source described the league’s future as “touch and go.”
One of the England players still registered for the draft is Dawid Malan. Malan has stated that he is waiting for advice from the ECB and the ICC on how to proceed rather than declaring an immediate withdrawal. It is unknown how many England players will be listed before October 24 and whether more will follow Pope, Smeed, and Willey in withdrawing from the draft.
