AUS vs PAK: Australia and Pakistan are all geared up to face each other in the first Test of a three-match series on December 14 in Perth. The two sides have named their Playing XIs for the opening fixture a day before the game. Notably Usman Khawaja, who was wearing shoes with messages "all lives are equal" and "freedom is a human right", won't be sporting them in the match against Pakistan.
Australia captain Pat Cummins confirmed that Khawaja will not be wearing shoes with those messages during the first Test. "I spoke to him just quickly and (Khawaja) said he won't be (wearing the statements)," Cummins said in a pre-match press conference a day before the match. "It kind of drew the attention to the ICC rules which I don't know if Uzzie was across beforehand. Uzzie doesn't want to make too big of a fuss. On his shoes he had 'all lives are equal'. I think that's not very divisive. I don't think anyone can really have too many complaints about that," he added.
Why Khawaja won't wear shoes with Gaza messages?
Khawaja won't be sporting the said shoes as per the ICC's rules. Cricket Australia released a statement on Wednesday ahead of Cummins' conference. "We support the right of our players to express personal opinions. But the ICC has rules in place which prohibit the display of personal messages which we expect the players to uphold," CA said in a statement.
The ICC rules state that the players are not permitted to show messages on their clothing or equipment unless the ICC or their board have approved them in advance. "In determining whether a message is for a ‘political, religious or racial cause’, the starting point is that the ICC and its members acknowledge and agree that cricket should be used as a tool to bring people and communities around the world together and not as a platform to draw attention to potentially divisive political issues, rhetoric or agendas," ICC's regulations say.
Khawaja releases Video
Notably, the cricketer has released a video to tell his views. "All Lives are Equal. Freedom is a Human right. I'm raising my voice for human rights. For a humanitarian appeal. If you see it any other way. That's on you..." Khawaja wrote in a caption to the video shared.
