Ahead of the first Test against Pakistan in Perth, Australian opener Usman Khawaja decided to sport a shoe with ‘All Lives are Equal’ message in it.
However, Khawaja didn’t get permission to do so from the ICC and Cricket Australia. Subsequently, the cricketer took the field wearing a black armband, which was initially assumed to be linked to a political stance.
Amid the outrage, the southpaw on Friday (December 23) issued a clarification, citing that it was a mark of personal bereavement.
Khawaja, 37, made it clear that he doesn’t have any hidden agendas and doing it only to pay homage to the thousands of kids who have lost their lives amidst the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict in Gaza.
“I don’t have any agendas other than trying to shine a light on what I feel really passionately, really strongly about. What I wore on my shoes was really.. I thought about it for a while, what I was going to write. I made sure that I didn’t want to segregate different parts of the population, religious beliefs, communities. Hence, I have kept religion out of this. I am talking about humanitarian issues. I am talking about Article 1 of the unified declaration of human rights. That is literally the crux of it.
“The reason I’m doing it is because it hit me hard. When I am looking at my Instagram and I’m seeing kids, innocent kids, videos of them, dying, passing away, that’s what’s hit me hardest. I just imagine my young daughter in my arms and the same thing. For me, that’s the reason I am doing this. I don’t have any hidden agendas. If anything, this brings up more negativity towards me,” Khawaja said in a video released by cricket.com.au.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, an ICC spokesperson recently said that Usman Khawaja violated Clause F of the Clothing and Equipment Regulations during the Perth Test.
“Usman Khawaja has been charged with breaching Clause F of the Clothing and Equipment Regulations. 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 in the regulations for personal messages. This is a breach under the category of an 'other breach' and the sanction for a first offense is a reprimand,” ICC spokesperson said.
However, Khawaja said he did not believe that the apex body was implementing its regulations consistently.
"They asked me on day two [in Perth] what it was for and told them it was for a personal bereavement. I never stated it was for anything else. The shoes were a different matter, I'm happy to say that. The armband makes no sense to me. I followed all the regulations and past precedents, guys who put stickers on their bats, and names on their shoes, did all sorts of things in the past without ICC approval and never been reprimanded.
“I respect the ICC and the rules and regulations they have. I will be asking them and contesting whether they make it fair and equitable for everyone and whether they have consistency in how they officiate. That consistency hasn't been done yet. I was very open and honest with that. I'll deal with that with the ICC,” Khawaja said ahead of the second Test against Pakistan at MCG.
