Whatever we think about Afghanistan’s rulers, we should keep sport and politics separate

Sir, – Although I’m quite interested in both sport and the area of international politics, I believe they are separate. Where they must overlap we should seek to embrace the former to improve the latter, allowing demonstrations of shared values on the pitch to overcome barriers. However, to take Fintan O’Toole ’s argument that we should not play cricket against Afghanistan as an example, the logic that we not compete against nations whose politics we abhor would have very difficult consequences. That we should stop trying to qualify for the Olympics or football’s World Cup seem the most obvious inferences. I cannot see any regime falling as a result but our own national pride and profile would be greatly harmed. – Yours, etc, Brian O’Brien, Kinsale, Co Cork.