Usman Khawaja posted a new video on his Instagram page, highlighting what he perceives to be the ICC’s ‘double standards’ in dealing with personal messages displayed by players during games.
Khawaja came into the limelight for displaying a message of solidarity on his kit during the Australia vs Pakistan series. Before the start of the first Australia-Pakistan Test in Perth, he wore shoes that read “All lives are equal” and “Freedom is a human right.” He was warned by his ICC that displaying these messages during Test matches would result in him being sanctioned.
Khawaja accepted the ICC’s decision and did not wear shoes with these messages during the match. Instead, he wrote his daughters’ names, wore a black armband and vowed to contest the ICC’s decision and continue the fight.
A few days ago, he was reprimanded by the International Criminal Court for wearing a black armband without prior permission, but he denied that this was also about bereavement rather than a form of protest .
Today (December 25), Mr. Khawaja posted a video on his social media page highlighting the ICC’s inconsistent response to such matters related to private messages.
In his video, Khawaja first highlights the ICC’s dress and equipment provisions, stating that personal messages for political, religious or racial reasons are not permitted.
The video shows three examples of players displaying religious or political messages. The first of them is Nicholas Pooran, who holds a cross behind his bat. The second image shows Marnus Labuschagne with an eagle sticker on the underside of his racket, a reference to a Bible verse. In the third photo, Keshav His Maharaj is wearing the ‘Om’ symbol on his bat.
The video also includes the following caption: “Merry Christmas everyone 🎄🤣. Sometimes you just have to laugh. On Boxing Day! 🙏🏾 #Contradictory #DoubleStandard 🤦🏻”
A few days ago,Michael Holding voiced his opinion on the ICC’s handling of the issue, commenting on their “tolerance of Black Lives Matter protests while blocking the Khawaja protests”. It had to denounce “hypocrisy” and display the message “All Lives”. are equal” and “freedom is a human right”
South African spinner Tabraiz Shamsi also supported Khawaja and called on the ICC to explain what was wrong with Khawaja’s message.
I would like the @ICC to explain what exactly has @Uz_Khawaja done wrong??
Is Warum Doppel Moral??#AllLivesAreEqual #FreedomIsAHumanRight pic.twitter.com/elb1pwcg7i a>
– Tabraiz Shamsi (@shamsi90) 25. December 2023
The second Test between Australia and Pakistan begins on December 26 at the MCG. It remains to be seen how the ICC will react to Khawaja’s video.
Usman Khawaja’s Instagram video highlighting ICC’s inconsistencies:
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