“What exactly has Usman Khawaja done wrong?” - Cricket fraternity bats for Aussie opener as his tussle with ICC continues
Australian batter Usman Khawaja has been locked in a tussle with the International Cricket Council (ICC) over wanting to raise awareness concerning the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. It all began when the Aussie expressed a wish to wear shoes that had the messages “all lives are equal” and “freedom is a human right” written on for the first Test match against Pakistan in Perth.
The 37-year-old was, however, denied permission by the game’s governing body. Khawaja ended up wearing a black armband during the first Test for which he was reprimanded by the ICC. The cricketer, however, claimed that his gesture was for a personal bereavement.
Then, ahead of the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan, Khawaja sought permission to display a picture of a black dove with an olive branch (a symbol of peace) on both his bat and shoes during the match at the MCG. He was again denied consent as ICC brought up the rule book.
As the battle of philosophy versus rules between Khawaja and the ICC continues, we look back at some of the prominent recent developments in the controversy.
Khawaja takes a dig at ICC, slams it for “double standards”
After the ICC denied him permission to display an image of a black dove with an olive branch on his bat and shoes for the Boxing Day Test, Khawaja took a brutal dig at cricket’s governing body, juxtaposing it with a cheeky Christmas wish.
He shared a video that had a picture of teammate Marnus Labuschagne with a Bible reference on his bat and South Africa left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj holding a willow with the 'Om' symbol on it.
Khawaja posted the clip on Instagram with the caption:
“Merry Christmas everybody. Sometimes you just gotta laugh. CYA at Boxing Day!” #inconsistent #doublestandards
The left-handed batter uploaded the video with Kanye West’s “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” playing in the background.
Pat Cummins backs teammate over Gaza stance
Speaking at a presser ahead of the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan, Australian captain Pat Cummins backed Khawaja over his attempt to try and spread the message of peace and harmony.
According to Cummins, he was nothing remotely offensive in the opening batter’s effort.
“I don’t know the ins and outs of the application, but I think it is pretty vanilla, a dove. 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,” he said.
Earlier, the cricketer had also received support from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who said the “all lives are equal” message was uncontroversial and not intended as a political statement.
Michael Holding blasts ICC over Khawaja saga
Former West Indies pacer Michael Holding slammed the ICC over its rigid stance on Khawaja. Labeling the ICC as an organization that is known for hypocrisy and lacks moral standing, he said in an interview with The Australian:
“The ICC regulations say re messaging ‘approval shall not be granted for messages which relate to political, religious or racial activities or causes’. So how the f*** people were allowed to take the knee for BLM and stumps were covered with LGBTQ colours?
Taking a further dig at the ICC over the controversy, he added:
“I have been following the Khawaja fiasco and I cannot say I’m surprised by the ICC’s stance. If it had been most other organisations that showed some semblance of consistency with their attitude and behaviour on issues I could claim surprise, but not them. Once again, they show their hypocrisy and lack of moral standing as an organization.”
Holding is known for his frank views on key matters related to the game. He has openly spoken up about racism in the sport and the need to educate people about its harmful effects.
“Don't see anything political in being sympathetic to human lives” - Salman Butt
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has also come out in support of Australia's Test opener Khawaja in the wake of his moral battle with the ICC.
"If the line is 'All lives matter', we all should agree with that. It has nothing to do with anything political. If a person of any race or religion is being subjected to injustice, it is condemnable. I don't see anything political in being sympathetic to human lives," he opined on his YouTube channel.
Meanwhile, Khawaja was dismissed for 42 off 101 balls on Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan. He hit five fours in his defiant knock before being caught by Agha Salman at second slip off Hasan Ali’s bowling.
Tabraiz Shamsi Usman Khawaja over peace stance
South African spinner Tabraiz Shamsi has also extended support to Australian batter Khawaja in his ongoing tussle with the ICC. Questioning the game’s governing body, the Proteas spinner took to his X handle and wrote:
"I would like the @ICC to explain what exactly has @Uz_Khawaja done wrong?? Why the double standards?? #AllLivesAreEqual #FreedomIsAHumanRight"
Heading into the Boxing Day Test, Khawaja had played 67 Tests, scoring 5,135 runs at an average of 47.544 with 15 hundreds and 25 fifties.