Australia (Commonwealth) _ In lieu of wearing shoes bearing his humanitarian message of “all lives are equal,” Australia’s Usman Khawaja donned a black arm band on the first day of the cricket Test match against Pakistan, which opened the series.
Khawaja covered up the notes scribbled on his shoes and wore a black armband as he came out to begin the batting with David Warner in Perth after Australia decided to bat first. Cricket Australia stated of the black armband, “As per his Instagram post yesterday, he is wearing it in solidarity and respect.”
The International Cricket Council (ICC) stepped in on Wednesday when Khawaja declared he would wear shoes with slogans to commemorate the innocent souls lost in the Israel-Hamas conflict during the game. International cricket rules set out by the ICC forbid the exhibition of political or religious comments on team uniforms or equipment.
Khawaja declared that he would contest the ICC’s position but would follow the decision to prevent punishment for himself or his team. In a social media post, Khawaja stated, “All rights are equal and freedom is a human right.” “It is something I will always believe in.”
In the five-day encounter, Australia elected to bat first, and Khawaja, David Warner, and the Pakistani fielders went on the pitch together. Khawaja, the first Muslim to play Test cricket for Australia and a Pakistani by birth, donned the black armband to express support for the suffering of the Gaza Strip.
He said that he wasn’t trying to cause division or make a political statement with the writing on his shoes. “I refuse to choose a side. Khawaja said in a video that she saw “human life as equal on X, formerly known as Twitter. “All I’m doing is speaking up for people sans a voice. I hold this dear to my heart. Before being bowled out by Shaheen Shah Afridi in the 30th over, he amassed 41 runs in a 126-run opening partnership with Warner and was forced to leave the field.
He claimed in previous pre-game TV appearances that there had been instances in which cricket players have been permitted to demonstrate their support for other causes. Khawaja remarked, “I find it a little disheartening that they came down hard on me and they don’t come down tough on everybody.”
The 36-year-old hitter enjoyed some high-level backing, extending as far as Australia’s federal treasurer, Jim Chalmers, and cricket captain Pat Cummins. “I agree with what was written on the shoes—all lives are equal,” Cummins declared. That isn’t particularly polarizing. Nobody really can have too many complaints about it, in my opinion.
Chalmers stated that Khawaja should be permitted to wear the shoes by the ICC on Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. “I don’t think it’s an especially contentious assertion and I find it unusual honestly that people want to argue that,” he stated. The lives of those on opposing sides of a battle are equally valuable and have no bearing on one another.
The CA Chairman, Mike Baird, stated that the organization supported Khawaja but that the ICC’s regulations must be adhered to. “There are restrictions that apply when the team and ICC are engaged. Thus, in our opinion, Uzzy (Khawaja) deserves our full support as he clearly feels the effects of the Middle East crisis firsthand and wants to speak out. “It’s just a matter of utilizing it while keeping in mind the established regulations,” he stated. Over 18,400 Palestinians have lost their lives in the Israel-Hamas conflict, according to the Health Ministry in the zone under Hamas control. This figure does not distinguish between fighter and civilian casualties.
