Ireland risk ECB ire by agreeing to play five matches against Afghanistan

Ireland's men's cricket team is set to play a five-match ODI series against Afghanistan, with the first game taking place in Bready on Wednesday. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is reportedly unhappy with the decision, as England themselves refuse to play Afghanistan outside ICC global events due to the Taliban regime's treatment of women, which ECB chair Richard Thompson has called 'gender apartheid'. Ireland's choice to proceed with the series risks damaging their future fixtures against England.