Usman Khawaja accuses ICC of ‘double standards’, being ‘inconsistent’ over Gaza support

Australia opener Usman Khawaja has accused the ICC of double standards after being refused permission to display a dove of peace on his bat during the Boxing Day test.

The Pakistan Khawaja has been keen to show his support for the people of Gaza during the ongoing conflict in the enclave, was reprimanded for wearing a black armband in the first test against Pakistan in Perth.

Usam Khawaja originally intended to show his support by writing the messages “Freedom is a human right” and “All lives are equal” on his shoes in the colours of Palestinian flags but that gesture also fell foul of ICC regulation.

He had worked with Australian cricket on a new way to show his support by having doe on his bat accomplished by the message “01: UDHR” in a reference to the first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

As per the Australian newspaper, ICC also refused to allow him to display the message. There was no reply to a request for comment on the matter from the International Cricket Council.

In a video posted by Khawaja on Instagram on the eve of the second test against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, he shared pictures of other international players who have religious symbols and messages on their bats.

“Merry Christmas everybody, sometimes you just gotta laugh … #inconsistent #doublestandards,” he wrote underneath.

The ICC Code of Conduct forbids players from wearing or conveying messages through arm bands or other items on clothing or equipment without prior approval, especially for racial, religious or political causes.

Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza in response to the deadly October. They killed at least 20,700 Palestinians as per the Gaza Health Ministry report.

Australia’s captain Pat Cummins on Monday said that the team were sympathetic to Khawaja’s desire to show his support to the Gaza people. “I don’t know the ins and outs of the application, but I think it is pretty vanilla, a dove,” he told reporters.

“We support Uzzy, I think he’s standing up for what he believes and I think he’s doing it respectfully,” he said.

“He can hold his head high the way he’s gone about it, but there are rules in place, so I believe the ICC has said they’re not going to approve that. They make up the rules and you’ve got to accept it.”