The International Cricket Council (ICC) has again rejected Australia opener Usman Khawaja over his fresh request to have a logo of a black dove holding an olive branch on his shoes and bat. He wanted to have the logo to recognize his support for the lives lost in Gaza during the current conflict between Israel and Palestine. Usman Khawaja attended the last training session before the second test against Pakistan with the logo.
He wore the logo on his right shoe and also had one on the back of his bat. The bat logo referenced article one of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and must behave toward each other in a spirit of brotherhood.”
Usman Khawaja verified the logo with Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) and both bodies approved the logo. However, Khawaja received a rejection of his application from the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday.
Usman Khawaja declined to comment when approached by this newspaper. However, on Friday he had spoken in depth about his position at the MCG. Khawaja was reprimanded by the ICC for wearing a black armband during the Perth Test last week. He was also previously prevented from wearing the slogans “all lives are equal” and “freedom is a human right” on his shoes during the Perth test.
Usman Khawaja says he has followed all regulations but ICC still denies his request
“I followed all the regulations, past precedents, guys who put stickers on their bats, names on their shoes, did all kinds of things in the past without ICC approval and I was never reprimanded. I respect the ICC and the rules and regulations it has,” Khawaja said on Friday.
“I will ask and challenge them to make it fair and equitable for everyone, and to have consistency in the way they officiate. That coherence has not yet been achieved. When I look at my Instagram and see innocent children and videos of them dying and passing away, that’s what impacts me the most.
I just imagine my little daughter in my arms and the same thing. I’m excited to talk about it right now again. For me, that’s why I do this. “I don’t have any hidden agenda.”
“If anything, this creates more negativity towards me. People come to attack me. I don’t get anything out of this. I feel like it’s my responsibility to talk about this. We live in such a beautiful country. I am lucky to live in Australia. I can walk outside, I don’t have to worry about anything. My children can do the same. “I just want that for the rest of the world.”
Usman Khawaja’s teammate Marnus Labuschagne also has an eagle logo on his bat, which is the same size as the black dove Khawaja wants to have. The ICC clearly states that players cannot have any symbols, banners or logos on their uniform or handheld devices that may be related to their political beliefs. However, Labuschagne’s eagle logo comes with a Bible verse.
