NEW DELHI: Australia opener
Usman Khawaja
faced a setback as his appeal against the sanction for wearing a
black armband
during the opening Test against Pakistan was reportedly rejected by the International Cricket Council on Sunday.
In the prior month, Khawaja had been reprimanded by the
ICC
for donning the black armband as a gesture of mourning for the children affected by the
Israel-Palestine conflict
that has persisted since October last year.
Born in Pakistan and being the first Muslim to represent Australia in Test cricket, the 37-year-old contested the reprimand, asserting that the armband was worn in memory of a personal bereavement.
Nevertheless, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, it was stated that "Usman Khawaja's disciplinary action for wearing a black armband onto the field in the first Test against Pakistan in Perth will remain in place, as the International Cricket Council turned down his appeal against the penalty..."
It was "according to a source close to the situation who wished to remain anonymous ahead of any public announcement being made".
ICC regulations prohibit cricketers from showcasing messages related to political, religious, or racial causes during international matches.
Nevertheless, players are allowed to wear black armbands, with prior permission from the governing body, to observe the passing of former players, family members, or other notable individuals.
ICC had said that Khawaja did not take required permission from his Cricket Australia or the ICC.
"Usman displayed a personal message (armband) during the first test match against Pakistan without seeking the prior approval of Cricket Australia and the ICC to display it, as required in the regulations for personal messages,” ICC statement had said.
"This is a breach under the category of an other breach' and the sanction for a first offense is a reprimand."
Khawaja had also arrived for a training session on December 13 with "all lives are equal" and "freedom is a human right" inscribed on his batting spikes and had reportedly planned to wear them during the inaugural Test.
"The ICC asked me day two (of the Perth Test) what (the black armband) was for, I told them it was for a personal bereavement. I never ever stated it was for anything else," Khawaja had said.
"I respect the ICC and all the regulations they have, I will be asking them and contesting them … From my point of view, that consistency hasn't been done yet. The shoes were for a different matter, I'm happy to say that, but the armband (reprimand) made no sense to me," he added.
Khawaja also denied that he had "any hidden agendas" when he arrived for a training session with inscriptions on his batting spikes, apparently in reference to the war in Gaza.
(With PTI Inputs)
English (US) ·