England captain Jos Buttler says he and his teammates are saddened by the plight of women in Afghanistan but have decided to play the side from the Taliban-ruled country as sport offers hope in tough times. The Taliban took over the reins of Afghanistan in 2021 and banned women's sports besides restricting their access to education and work. Last month, a group of British lawmakers had urged the England cricket team to boycott the Champions Trophy fixture against Afghanistan as a sign of protest against the treatment meted out to women in the country. On the eve of the game, Buttler was asked what made him and his team comfortable to go ahead with the game. "I'm taking a lot of advice from lots of experts. I think credit must go to Rob Key and the ECB they've been very, very good at supporting me and all the players and giving us information and education around this and making it an ECB decision," said Buttler. "We're very saddened by the plight of women and girls in Afghanistan