"We control what we can do inside the ground and we can't worry about what's happening out of the ground," he says

Afghanistan men’s cricket team captain Hashmatullah Shahidi made it clear on Tuesday that women in his country should be allowed to play the game though he said it was beyond his control in a nation governed by strict religious laws.

Afghanistan cricket team captain Hashmatullah Shahidi has backed Afghan women's right to play the sport. However, he stressed that the matter was out of his hands. Shahidi's remarks came during a training session ahead of Afghanistan's ICC Champions Trophy match against England in Lahore on Wednesday.

A group of British lawmakers had also reportedly urged the England cricket team to boycott the Champions Trophy fixture against Afghanistan, a request the ECB denied.

Hashmatullah Shahidi on women's cricket in Afghanistan. (Photo Source: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images) Afghanistan captain has expressed his support for Afghan women to play cricket but mentioned that the situation is beyond his control.

While expressing his support for Afghanistan's women's cricket rights, Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi reaffirmed that "we cannot control" the issue.