Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja wears black armband in Gaza protest

Published December 14, 2023
Usman Khawaja wears a black arm band in solidarity with Gaza on first Test against Pakistan. — Picture via Fox Cricket/X
Usman Khawaja wears a black arm band in solidarity with Gaza on first Test against Pakistan. — Picture via Fox Cricket/X

Australia’s Usman Khawaja staged a muted protest against the war in Gaza on Thursday, wearing a black armband during the first Test against Pakistan and taping up messages on his shoes.

The opening batsman had wanted to wear shoes emblazoned with the hand-written slogans “Freedom is a human right” and “All lives are equal” during the match at Perth.

But Pakistan-born Khawaja, who is a Muslim, was told that it flouted International Cricket Council rules on messages that relate to politics, religion or race.

 Australia’s Usman Khawaja is seen on the field with a tape strapped on his left shoe to hide a message of support for people in Gaza. —AFP
Australia’s Usman Khawaja is seen on the field with a tape strapped on his left shoe to hide a message of support for people in Gaza. —AFP

With Cricket Australia saying it expected the players to uphold the rules, Khawaja covered over the slogans with semi-transparent tape leaving the words — in the colour of the Palestinian flag — visible only in close-up.

According to local media, Cricket Australia said Khawaja was wearing the armband as a show of solidarity.

Many thousands of Gazans have been killed in the 10-week-old Israeli bombardment, sparked by Hamas raids into Israel on October 7 that killed 1,200 people.

In a video Khawaja recently shared on social media, he asked: “Do people not care about innocent humans being killed?”

Khawaja has vowed to fight the ban on his footwear, calling it “a humanitarian appeal”.

He doubled down on his stance just before going in to bat in the first Test on Thursday. “I just think that so much has happened in the past that sets a precedent,” Khawaja told Fox Cricket.

“Other guys that have religious things on their equipment, under the ICC guidelines that’s not technically allowed, but the ICC never says anything on that,” he added.

Australian captain Pat Cummins said he was “really proud” of his teammate and of other squad members who had spoken up for what they believe in.

Opinion

Editorial

Smog hazard
Updated 05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

The catastrophe unfolding in Lahore is a product of authorities’ repeated failure to recognise environmental impact of rapid urbanisation.
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....
Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.