Ollie Pope withdraws from Afghanistan Premier League draft

England batter Ollie Pope has withdrawn from the draft for the inaugural Afghanistan Premier League (APL), ending his involvement in a tournament that has divided opinion among English cricketers.

Pope had been due to be the only centrally contracted England player in the running for the first edition of the APL, which is set to take place in the United Arab Emirates later this year. The 27-year-old has played 64 Tests for England.

The decision comes just days after England's latest batch of central contracts were confirmed. On Monday, director of cricket Rob Key said Pope would not play in the APL but admitted it is "legally hard" to prevent England players from taking part.

ECB holds the key on availability

For any English player to feature in the league, they would require a No Objection Certificate from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). With Pope being a contracted player, Key would have been involved in deciding the Surrey man's availability for the APL.

However, it is understood Pope took the decision to withdraw from the draft — which is due to take place later this month — independently of Key's view on the competition.

"Legally it is hard to stop players going over and playing in these competitions," Key told the Test Match Special podcast. "It becomes a moral judgement and players have to be prepared to take the right moral stance.

"Personally, and it is easy for me to say, I would not go and play. But it is down to the player to make that decision."

When asked whether he had made his feelings clear to Pope, Key replied: "I had that conversation and Ollie will have to make his decision."

A contract — and a political backdrop

Pope has been handed a new 12-month England contract despite not playing international cricket since the third Ashes Test in Australia last December. He was recalled to the Test squad for the series against Pakistan in the home summer and has stood in as captain on six occasions, including against India at The Oval in 2025.

The ECB has refused to schedule bilateral cricket with Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in the country in 2021. Last year, ECB chair Richard Thompson described the Taliban's oppression of women and girls as "gender apartheid".

England have, however, continued to play against Afghanistan at global events, including World Cups in both limited-overs formats and the Champions Trophy.

"I don't agree with the way women have been treated in Afghanistan," Key said. "The way things happen out there is not something I agree with so it is not something I would go and do."

Pope's withdrawal leaves a host of other English players still entered into the APL draft, including former England batter Dawid Malan, ex-England all-rounder Moeen Ali, James Vince and Somerset's James Rew, who made his Test debut in June.