Australian opener Usman Khawaja continues to attempt to express his solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, but the International Cricket Council (ICC) has reportedly rejected it ahead of the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan, starting on December 26th. On Sunday, Khawaja trained by wearing a shoe, which had a logo of black dove holding an olive branch
The 36-year-old had the above-mentioned logo on his right shoe and on the back of his bat. While the elegant left-hander received the green signal from Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers' Association ahead of the MCG Test, the ICC reportedly declined the application on Sunday morning.
Both Khawaja and ICC are yet to comment on the latest development of the issue. The Pakistan-born cricketer planned to wear shoes which had slogans of 'Freedom is a human right' and 'All lives are equal' ahead of the opening Test in Perth, but the ICC forbade him from doing so. However, his decision to wear a black armband during the fixture prompted ICC to reprimand him.
"I don’t have any hidden agendas" - Usman Khawaja
Khawaja, who opened up after ICC reprimanded him, highlighted that watching the disturbing content on social media worries him deeply about his family. Hence, the 36-year-old quashed the notions of having any agenda behind expressing solidarity. He spoke to reporters on Friday, stating:
"I will be asking them and contesting they make it fair and equitable for everyone, and they have consistency in how they officiate. That consistency hasn’t been done yet. When I’m looking at my Instagram and seeing innocent kids, videos of them dying, passing away, that’s what hit me the hardest. I just imagine my young daughter in my arms and the same thing. I get emotional talking about it right now again. For me, that’s the reason I’m doing this. I don’t have any hidden agendas."
Meanwhile, Australia lead the three-match series after winning in Perth by 360 runs.
