The ICC regulations prevented Usman Khawaja from wearing shoes with a ‘humanitarian message’ of peace in reference to the war in Palestine. The 36-year-old was spotted wearing footwear with the slogans “Freedom is a human right" and “All lives are equal" at the team’s training session on Tuesday. As per several media reports, he also planned to wear them during the first Test against Pakistan, starting Thursday in Perth. Though he dropped the plan after it caused quite a stir ahead of the beginning of cricketing summer, Khawaja did put on a black armband to show respect to those suffering in the Middle East.
On Thursday, Australia captain Pat Cummins won toss and opted to bat first. Khawaja, alongside his partner David Warner, walked out to bat with a black band around his right arm which caught the attention of the fans.
Ahead of the start of play in Perth, Khawaja pointed at players who wore messages in support for other political movements in the past but weren’t sanctioned, thus accusing the governing body of double standards.
“I think there have already been precedents set in the past that ICC have allowed. Precedents said that players have done stuff where ICC hasn’t done anything in the past. So I find it a bit unfair that they have come down on me at this point in time where there have definitely been precedents in the past of similar things," Khawaja told 7Cricket.
The veteran Australia batter found ICC’s reaction ‘a little bit disappointing’, stating that he will ‘always stand up for what I believe in’.
“I don’t see where it becomes political. For me, and this is my personal opinion, I find it hard to accept where people find what I said distasteful. No one’s ever going to agree with everyone and I accept that. But for me it makes me feel a little bit uneasy that people find those words uneasy," Khawaja was quoted as saying by Fox Sports.
“It hasn’t been just yesterday, it’s been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster the last couple of months.
“It is what it is. I’ll always stand up for what I believe in, even if people don’t agree with me or they don’t like me saying it. I want to look back on my career and say I stood up for my values, I respect what I did on the field but I also respect myself for what I did off the field.
“That for me at some level, probably at the most level, means more," Khawaja added.
Location: Australia