Michael Holding slams ICC for ‘hypocrisy’ over Usman Khawaja saga

Reacting to the recent ICC charges against Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja, former West Indies fast bowling legend Michael Holding Sunday observed that the cricket body has once again shown its hypocrisy and lack of moral standing as an organization .

Earlier today, Khawaja was denied permission by the ICC to use a peace symbol on his bat and boots during the Boxing Day match against Pakistan.

According AFPKhawaja was seen wearing a sticker on his bat and boots showing a black dove and the words 01:UDHR – a reference to Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – during a training session ahead of Australia’s second Test match with the Pakistan which was scheduled to take place on December 26 (Tuesday) in Melbourne.

In an interview with The Weekend AustralianHolding remarked: “I’ve been watching the Khawaja fiasco and I can’t say I’m surprised by the attitude of the ICC.

“If most other organizations showed some consistency with their attitude and behavior on issues, I could claim surprise, but not them. Once again, they show their hypocrisy and lack of moral standing as an organization.”

There was controversy when Khawaja stopped wearing shoes with the messages “All lives are equal” and “Freedom is a human right” during the Test match in Perth. This was due to concerns that it would breach the ICC’s dress and equipment rules.

The regulations state that players cannot display messages of political, religious or racial causes while playing in ICC matches. Khawaja taped the message to his shoes during the match and instead wore a black armband, which was interpreted as a sign of support for civilians in Gaza during the ongoing conflict. Khawaja later clarified that the armband was for “personal mourning”.

However, Khawaja was subsequently charged by the ICC for using the armband. A board spokesman said: “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 by the private messages”.

Holding also criticized ICC regulations for their discrepancies, stressing that players had the right to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement by taking a knee before matches. In the 2020 Test series between West Indies and England, visitors wore ‘Black Lives Matter’ T-shirts with a raised fist design on the collar.

International Criminal Court regulations say that messaging “shall not be approved for messages related to political, religious or racial activities or causes,” Holding said. “So how come f*** people were allowed to take a knee for BLM and the stumps were covered in LGBTQ colors?”

Speaking on Friday ahead of the second Test of the series in Sydney, Khawaja also questioned whether the ICC was applying its regulations consistently.

“They asked me on the second day [in Perth] what is [the armband] he was in favor and told them it was for personal mourning,” Khawaja said. “I never said it was for anything else. The shoes were another matter, I’m glad to say that. The armband makes no sense to me. I’ve followed all the regulations, previous precedents, guys putting stickers on their bats, names on their shoes, I’ve done all sorts of things in the past without ICC approval and I’m never reprimanded.

“I respect the ICC and the rules and regulations they have. I will question and challenge them if they make it fair and equal for everyone and are consistent in how they practice. This consequence has not yet been made. I was very open and honest about it. I will take it up with the ICC.”