Usman Khawaja Puts Black Armband After Being Restricted from Wearing Shoes with Pro-Palestine Slogans

The ICC rules prevented Usman Khawaja from carrying footwear with a ‘humanitarian message’ of peace in reference to the warfare in Palestine. The 36-year-old was noticed carrying footwear with the slogans “Freedom is a human right” and “All lives are equal” on the staff’s coaching session on Tuesday. As per a number of media reviews, he additionally deliberate to put on them in the course of the first Test in opposition to Pakistan, beginning Thursday in Perth. Though he dropped the plan after it prompted fairly a stir forward of the start of cricketing summer time, Khawaja did placed on a black armband to point out respect to these struggling within the Middle East.

On Thursday, Australia captain Pat Cummins gained toss and opted to bat first. Khawaja, alongside his associate David Warner, walked out to bat with a black band round his proper arm which caught the eye of the followers.

Ahead of the beginning of play in Perth, Khawaja pointed at gamers who wore messages in assist for different political actions previously however weren’t sanctioned, thus accusing the governing physique of double requirements.

“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 advised 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.