In a fresh setback for the Australian opener Usman Khawaja, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has rejected his appeal after a sanction was imposed on him after the Australia vs Pakistan 1st Test. During the match, Usman Khawaja wore a black armband to mourn the children killing in Gaza during the conflict that had taken place in October last year. The left-handed batter told the ICC that he had done so for a personal bereavement.
As per ICC regulations, it prevents cricketers from displaying messages of political, religious or racial causes during international matches. “They asked me on day two what it was for and [I] told them it was for a personal bereavement,” Khawaja was quoted by The Sydney Morning Herald. “I never ever stated it was for anything else. The shoes were a different matter, I’m happy to say that. The armband makes no sense to me.
It must be mentioned that Khawaja was born in Pakistan and is the first Muslim to play test cricket for Australia. Earlier, ICC said that the Southpaw did not take required permission from his cricket board or the ICC.
“Usman 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,” ICC said in a statement. “This is a breach under the category of an ‘other breach’ and the sanction for a first offense is a reprimand.” the statement added.
