Australian batter Usman Khawaja was denied permission by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to wear a dove on his shoe and bat in the Boxing Day Test. Now, sources in the ICC have revealed the cause of rejection. According to the source, Khawaja’s request was denied because of the gesture’s reference to the ‘middle-east’ in addition to the universal declaration of human rights.
According to The Age, three sources with knowledge of the negotiations who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to ICC regulatory matters, Khawaja’s application was rejected on the grounds that it was still too politically, religiously or racially motivated, as per the relevant provision of the governing body’s clothing regulations, due to a reference to “the Middle East”.
A source close to the discussions described the ICC’s decision not to sanction Khawaja’s dove as a “own-goal” due to the large number of personal religious statements worn by players around the world.
Cummins backs Usman Khawaja
Australia’s skipper Pat Cummins said on Monday that he sees no distinction between Khawaja’s “humanitarian dove” and the “eagle” and “Bible verse” on Marnus Labuschagne’s bat.
“I don’t know the ins and outs of the application, but I think it is pretty vanilla; a dove,” Cummins said. “We really support Uzzy, I think he’s standing up for what he believes and I think he’s doing it really respectfully.
“All lives are equal, and I don’t think that’s very offensive, and I’d say the same about the dove. That’s Uzzy. He can hold his head high the way he’s gone about it, but there’s rules in place, so I believe the ICC have said they’re not going to approve that. They make up the rules, and you’ve got to accept it,” Cummins said.
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