Australian opener Usman Khawaja was reprimanded by the International Cricket Council (ICC) recently for sporting a black armband after the global body’s rules prevented him from wearing shoes with messages of support for Gaza in a test against Pakistan.
Khawaja had the messages “Freedom is a human right” and “All lives are equal” on his boots in the colours of the Palestinian flag during training before the opening test of the three-match series last week, which the hosts won by 360 runs in Perth. Meanwhile, the left-handed batter took a dig at the ICC for showing double standards as he uploaded a post on his social media accounts.
The Pakistan-born opener intended to wear the boots in the game, according to Australian media reports, but was unable to do so under ICC regulations that prohibit messages related to political, religious or racial activities or causes. He instead wore a black armband and the ICC said he was in breach its Clothing and Equipment Regulations.
“Usman Khawaja displayed a personal message (armband) during the first test match against Pakistan without seeking the prior approval of Cricket Australia and the ICC to display it, as required in the regulations for personal messages,” an ICC spokesperson had said earlier.
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