File photo of Australian batsman Usman Khawaja© AFP
Usman Khawaja took to social media to speak out against the International Cricket Council (ICC) amid the controversy surrounding the governing body's decision not to allow him to wear a 'peace symbol' on his bat during the second Test match between Australia and Pakistan in Melbourne from December 26. The Australian cricket team opener earlier wanted to wear shoes with the message 'all lives are equal' and 'freedom is a human right' during the first Test in support of the victims who suffered as a result of the Israel-Hamas Conflict. ICC denied that request from Khawaja and when he later sought permission to wear the 'dove' symbol on his bat, his request was again rejected.
Khawaja was also charged by the ICC for wearing a black armband during the first Test match as they said such gestures cannot be performed without requiring 'prior permission'.
On the occasion of Christmas, Khawaja uploaded a video to Instagram with Kanye West's 'Can't Tell Me Nothing' playing in the background, along with the caption: 'Merry Christmas Everyone. Sometimes you just have to laugh. Cya on Boxing Day! #inconsistent #double standards.”
The video contained ICC's announcement about his black armband gesture along with pictures of several cricketers with religious symbols on their bats during international matches.
Earlier, Australia captain Pat Cummins threw his support behind star opener Usman Khawaja, saying his attempt to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was “not offensive”.
The logo, which he showed during training on Sunday, also had the words 01:UDHR – a reference to article one of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – written on it.
“We really support Uzzy. He stands up for what he believes and I think he has done that very respectfully,” Cummins told reporters on the eve of the Test in Melbourne.
(With AFP inputs)
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