Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja sported a black armband when he came out to bat on the first day of the First Test match against Pakistan.
Khawaja put a tape over the message ‘All Lives Are Equal’ on his shoes supporting people in Gaza in a muted protest.
The Aussie cricketer wanted to wear the shoes during the match in Perth with the hand-written messages “Freedom is a human right” and “All lives are equal” clearly visible. He was denied by Cricket Australia, the cricket governing body in Australia, as it would’ve gone against the rules of the ICC.
Khawaja covered the slogans with semi-transparent tape leaving the word – in the color of the Palestinian flag – visible only in close-up.
In a Twitter post, Usman Khawaja commented, “Do people not care about innocent humans being killed?”
Khawaja on Wednesday, 13 December 2023, vowed to fight the ban on his footwear and doubled down on his stance just before going in to bat in the first Test.
“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.
Social media users were quick to add how the Indian cricket team supported their Army in an ODI match against Australia in 2019 when tensions between neighboring countries India and Pakistan were high. The entire Indian cricket team was seen wearing camouflaged caps as a tribute to the army.