Xtra Time Web Desk: Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja will not be allowed to wear shoes with a special hand written message supporting Palestine for the first test against Pakistan at Perth starting from Thursday, December 14. Khawaja had planned to wear shoes displaying slogans such as “Freedom is a human right” and “All lives are equal.” But Cricket Australia has instructed Khawaja not to wear the shoes with any messages as it is against the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) policies against political statements in international matches.
Cricket Australia, in a statement, clarified its stance, saying, “We support the right of our players to express personal opinions, but the ICC has rules in place which prohibit the display of personal messages which we expect the players to uphold.”
Despite potential repercussions, Khawaja frames the slogans as broad and nonpartisan human rights gestures, drawing parallels with Cricket Australia’s support for LGBTI and Indigenous Australians.
Khawaja had earlier highlighted global disparities in empathy, sharing footage from Palestine and questioning if the lack of global support for Gazans is due to their skin color or religion on his social media handle Instagram.
While ICC regulations prohibit messages related to political, religious, or racial causes during matches, the governing body of world cricket did allowed players to take the knee in support of Black Lives Matter.
Cricket Australia also withdrew from a match against Afghanistan earlier in protest of the Taliban’s treatment of women. The move reflects Khawaja’s commitment to highlighting human rights issues, navigating the fine line between individual expression and ICC regulations.