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File photo of Australia batter Usman Khawaja© AFP
Usman Khawaja took to social media to take a dig at the International Cricket Council (ICC) amid the controversy surrounding the governing body’s decision to not allow him to sport a ‘symbol of peace’ on his bat during the second Test match between Australia and Pakistan in Melbourne starting December 26. The Australian cricket team opener earlier wanted to wear shoes that had the messages “all lives are equal” and “freedom is a human right” during the first Test in support of the victims who suffered as a result of the Israel-Hamas conflict. ICC denied that request from Khawaja and later, when he asked for permission to sport the ‘dove’ symbol on his bat, his request was once again denied.
Khawaja was also charged by the ICC for sporting a black armband during the first Test match as they said that such gestures cannot be carried out without taking ‘prior permission’.
On the occasion of Christmas, Khawaja uploaded a video on Instagram with Kanye West’s ‘Can’t Tell Me Nothing’ in the background along with the caption: “Merry Christmas everybody. Sometimes you just gotta laugh. Cya at Boxing Day! #inconsistent #doublestandards.”
The video featured the notice from ICC regarding his black armband gesture along with pictures of several cricketers with religious symbols on their bats during international matches.
Earlier, Australia captain Pat Cummins threw his support behind star opener Usman Khawaja, saying his bid to bring attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was “not offensive”.
The logo, which he displayed during training on Sunday, also had the words 01:UDHR — a reference to Article One of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — written on it.
“We really support Uzzy. He’s standing up for what he believes and I think he’s done it really respectfully,” Cummins told reporters on the eve of the Test in Melbourne.
(With AFP inputs)
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