Usman Khawaja, left, and David Warner walk out at lunch break in the first Test against Pakistan (AFP Photo)
On the opening day of the first Test against
Pakistan
on Thursday,
Australia
opener
Usman Khawaja
expressed his solidarity with people in
Gaza
through a subtle protest.
Initially wanting to wear shoes with messages like "Freedom is a human right" and "All lives are equal," he was informed that this violated International Cricket Council rules on political, religious or racial messages during matches.
To comply, Khawaja covered the slogans with semi-transparent tape in the colors of the Palestinian flag, maintaining the armband in alignment with a UNICEF video he shared on Instagram.
The video addressed concerns about innocent lives in Gaza amidst the conflict sparked by Hamas raids into Israel on October 7.
Despite facing a ban on his footwear, Khawaja remained steadfast in his stance just before entering the to bat in the first Test.
"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.
(With AFP inputs)
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