Save articles for later
Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.
Test opener Usman Khawaja has received support from the federal Sports Minister Anika Wells over his show of support for Palestinians caught in the fighting in Gaza.
Khawaja wore the shoes sporting the slogans “Freedom is a human right” and “All lives are equal” at the Australia team’s main training session on Tuesday, and has confirmed to this masthead he intended to wear them on Thursday, day one of the first Test against Pakistan.
Usman Khawaja wearing “All lives are equal” on his shoes during an Australian nets session at the WACA on Tuesday.Credit: Getty Images
His planned gesture will likely test the world governing body’s regulations around political messages in games.
Wells backed Khawaja on Wednesday, saying he had expressed his “respectful” view as an individual and in a manner that did not compromise the Australian cricket team’s obligations to the International Cricket Council.
“As the federal sports minister, I have always advocated for athletes to have the right to have a voice and to speak up on matters that are important to them,” she said at a press conference in Perth on Wednesday morning.
“Usman Khawaja is a great athlete. Usman Khawaja is a great Australian and he has every right to speak up on matters that are important to him.
“I think he has done it in a peaceful and respectful way, and as a way that he as an individual can express an individual opinion that doesn’t compromise the Australian cricket team’s obligations to the ICC.”
Players and officials are not permitted to display messages on their clothing or equipment unless approved in advance by their board or the ICC.
Messages for political causes “shall not be granted”, the ICC’s regulations say, but the governing body also acknowledges the game’s can be used as a tool to “bring people and communities around the world together” but “not as a platform to draw attention to potentially divisive political issues, rhetoric or agendas”.
Players were permitted to take a knee supporting the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 and, more commonly, to wear a black armband.
Australia captain Pat Cummins will likely be quizzed on his teammate’s stance when he speaks to media at his pre-game press conference on Wednesday.
A proud Muslim, Khawaja has been deeply affected by the distressing scenes out of Gaza since Israel retaliated to the Hamas attacks on October 7. He took to Instagram on Saturday to post his concerns on the war.
“Do people not care about innocent humans being killed? Or is it the colour of their skin that makes them less important? Or the religion they practice? These things should be irrelevant if you truly believe that ‘we are all equal’. #gaza #humanity #equality #alllivesmatter,” Khawaja wrote.
Cricket Australia and the ICC have been contacted for comment.
More to come
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
Most Viewed in Sport
From our partners
Source: Read Full Article