England captain Jos Butt­ler expressed his solidarity with the plight of women in Afghanistan before the clash with Asian minnows at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Expressing concern, Buttler called the situation disheartening.

"The plight of women and girls in Afgha­nistan and the struggles that they’re facing are very saddening,” the England captain said during his press conference in Lahore.

“But we hope that the game tomorrow can be a source of hope and enjoyment. It’s obviously a tough time at the moment, so I think we’re really excited about the match,” added the 34-year-old.

Earlier, more than 160 British politicians had demanded that the Three Lions boycott the game in protest against the Taliban government’s restrictions on women’s rights in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan’s coach Jonathan Trott, told the media that Afghan players are facing a tricky situation and know there are “things that are not correct” in their country.

“They know the difference between right and wrong. It is a real tricky situation for them,” head coach and former England batsman Jonathan Trott told the BBC from Lahore.

“They know who they are playing for and representing.

“We work hard to bring joy to the country and the guys are passionate, brave and proud of being able to do that, but knowing full well that there are things that are not correct.”

Meanwhile, in the game, it was Afghanistan who won the toss and opted to bat first.

England (Playing XI): Philip Salt, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith(w), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler(c), Liam Livingstone, Jofra Archer, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

Afghanistan (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Cricket, Sports and around the world.