Khawaja has been asked by Cricket Australia to abide by the rules set by the ICC and not wear shoes with slogans
After being warned not to wear shoes with rights-based slogans, Australian batsman Usman Khawaja took a different route to record his protests against Israel’s atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza.
The 36-year-old Pakistani-born cricketer decided to stage a silent protest during Australia’s first Test match against Pakistan in Perth today.
Khawaja, after being told to abide by the rules set by the International Cricket Council, wore a black armband and stuck the messages on his shoes.
The opening batsman wanted to wear shoes with the handwritten slogans “Freedom is a human right” and “All lives are equal” during the match in Perth.
However, Pakistan-born Khawaja, who is Muslim, was told he was in breach of ICC rules for messages related to politics, religion or race.
With Cricket Australia saying it expected the players to abide by the rules, Khawaja covered the slogans with translucent tape leaving the words – in the color of the Palestinian flag – visible only at close range.
According to local media, Cricket Australia said Khawaja was wearing the armband as a sign of solidarity.
Thousands of Gazans have been martyred in the 10-week war, which erupted after Hamas’s surprise attack on several Jewish kibbutzim on October 7.
In a video shared by Khawaja on Instagram recently, he asked: “Don’t people care that innocent people are killed?”
Khawaja has vowed to fight the ban on his footwear, calling it “a humanitarian appeal”.
He doubled his stance just before going into bat in the first Test on Thursday.
“I just think so much has happened in the past that it sets a precedent,” Khawaja said Fox cricket.
“Other kids who have religious stuff on their gear, according to the ICC guidelines that’s technically not allowed, but the ICC never says anything about it,” he added.
Australian captain Pat Cummins said he was “really proud” of his team-mate and other members of the squad who had spoken up for what they believed in.
— With additional input from AFP
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