Australia opener Usman Khawaja has been charged by the International Cricket Council for wearing an unsanctioned black armband to show solidarity with people affected by conflict in Gaza.
Ahead of Australia’s first Test against Pakistan last week, Khawaja trained in cricket spikes emblazoned with the words “All Lives Are Equal” and “Freedom is a Human Right”, a reference to the plight of Palestinians in the conflict in Gaza, written in the colours of the Palestinian flag.
He revealed that he was planning to wear them in the Test, but was told he could not by the ICC because they amounted to a political statement, so covered the message up, but still wore the shoes.
Khawaja also wore a black armband which has earned him ICC censure anyway. While black armbands are a common sight in international cricket, the reasons for wearing them (usually the death of a former player or family member) must be pre-approved by the match officials.
Khawaja is facing a fine, rather than a suspension, for the offence.
“Usman Khawaja has been charged for breaching Clause F of the Clothing and Equipment Regulations, which can be found on the ICC Playing Conditions page. The sanctions for a breach of the regulations are outlined in Appendix 2,” an ICC spokesperson said in a statement.
“Usman displayed a personal message (arm band) during the 1st 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 offence is a reprimand.”
After he was told he could not wear his “political” shoes, Khawaja – the first Muslim to play for Australia – accused the ICC of double standards and vowed to fight for his right to wear them.
“What I’ve written on my shoes is not political. I’m not taking sides,” he said. “Human life to me is equal. One Jewish life is equal to one Muslim life is equal to one Hindu life and so on. I’m just speaking up for those who don’t have a voice.
“The ICC have told me I can’t wear my shoes on the field because they feel it’s a political statement under their guidelines. I don’t believe it’s so. It’s a humanitarian appeal. I will respect their view and decision. But I will fight it and seek to gain approval.
“I am a grown man, I can do anything I want, but I think the ICC will keep coming down and giving me fines and at some point it will detract from the game. I stand by what I said, I will stand by that, I think forever.
“For me, I need to get out there and concentrate on what I am doing but it is right at the forefront of my mind. I will try to [challenge the ICC] as soon as possible, whenever it is possible. There already has been a precedent set in the past that ICC have allowed.
“A precedent set where players have done stuff in the past where the ICC hasn’t done anything. I find it a bit unfair that they have come down on me at this point in time where there definitely has been precedents in the past of similar things.”
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