Australia skipper Pat Cummins assured that opener Usman Khawaja won’t be displaying a pro-Palestine message during AUS vs PAK 1st Test. The captain’s remarks comes after Cricket Australia warned Khawaja to stop in his tracks, noting that it was against the rules set by the ICC.
“He had some words on his shoes. I think it’s one of our strongest points of our team that everyone has his own personal views and thoughts,” Cummins said, as per Sydney Morning Herald.
“I chatted to Ussie about it briefly today. I don’t think his intention was to make too big of a fuss, but we support him.
“He said he won’t be (wearing them)“.
Cummins, however, said that he did not find anything wrong with Khawaja’s ‘all lives matter’ remark and that he supported it.
CA stalls opener’s intentions
Cricket Australia, in a statement, clarified its stance, saying, “We support the right of our players to express personal opinions, but the ICC has rules in place which prohibit the display of personal messages which we expect the players to uphold.”
What were Khawaja’s plans?
As per a report in Stuff.co.nz, the batsman has been deeply affected by what has been transpiring in Gaza since October 7.
During one of the practice sessions too, he wore shoes, that read, ‘Freedom is a human right’ and ‘All lives are equal’. Meanwhile, Khawaja told the Sydney Morning Herald, that he would wear the shoes on the first day of play as well.