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Australia opener Usman Khawaja wore a black armband During Day 1 of the series-opening cricket test against Pakistan, as he was denied permission to don shoes bearing a humanitarian message of "all lives are equal.”
The International Cricket Council (ICC) intervened after Khawaja signalled his intention to wear shoes with messages drawing attention to the loss of innocent lives in the Israel-Hamas conflict during the match on December 13.
ICC regulations governing international cricket strictly prohibit the display of political or religious messages on team gear or attire. Khawaja acknowledged his adherence to this rule to avoid potential penalties for himself or the team. However, he expressed his intention to challenge the ICC's position on the matter.
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Before the start of the match on the first day, Khawaja spoke with 7 Cricket on the outfield, reaffirming his intention to challenge the ICC's decision. He expressed, “I’m a grown man, I can do anything I want, but the ICC will just keep coming down and giving me fines, and at some point, it will detract from the game. I stand by what I said, I’ll stand by it I think forever, but for me, I also need to go out there and focus on what I’m doing. But it’s right at the forefront of my mind.”
"Freedom is a human right, and all rights are equal," Khawaja said in a social media post. "I will never stop believing that."
Khawaja, born in Pakistan and recognised as Australia's first Muslim Test cricket player, showed solidarity with those affected in Gaza by wearing a black armband. In pre-game television interviews, he pointed out previous instances where fellow cricketers were allowed to show support for different causes.
"I find it a little bit disappointing they came down hard on me and they don't always come down hard on everyone,'' he said.
"What was on the shoes - all lives are equal - I support that," Pat Cummins said.
"That's not very divisive. I don't think anyone can really have too many complaints about that."
Treasurer of Australia Jim Chalmers told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio that the ICC should allow Khawaja to wear the shoes.
"I don't think it's an especially controversial statement and I find it unusual frankly that people want to dispute that,''Chalmers said.
''The lives on one side of a conflict are not worth any more or any less than the lives on the other side of a conflict.”
In an emotional video shared on his social media on December 13, Khawaja clarified that his message was "not political" and that the “bigger problem” was people calling him up to berate him for his stance.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by India Today)
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