Cricket Australia Issues Order To Usman Khawaja Over Wearing Pro Palestine Slogan Shoes
Khawaja with Pro Palestine slogan on shoes (x.com)
Ahead of the first Test between Australia and Pakistan, Opener Usman Khawaja gained unwanted attention for wearing a pro-Palestine message ''all lives are equal" on his shoes, which Cricket Australia (CA) has raised a disapproval to.
As quoted by The Age, CA on Wednesday, issued a diktat to Khawaja asking him to not wear the 'said' shoes with the message or else the batter will not be permitted to take the field on Thursday at Perth.
CA, however, asserted that Khawaja is open to supporting people living in Gaza, but the rules and regulations framed by the International Cricket Council (ICC), which stops players from displaying personal messages on the field, will need to be stricken implemented by the Australian cricketing body.
Here's what CA said
“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.”
Khawaja over various social media platforms have provided his support to Gaza, stating if the people in power or authority care about lives in the region or not.
"Do people not care about innocent humans being killed? Or is it the colour of their skin that makes them less important? Or the religion they practice? These things should be irrelevant if you truly believe that ‘we are all equal.’"
Meanwhile, Australia have named their playing XI for Perth, and as expected Khawaja is included despite the recent controversy.
Skipper Pat Cummins has also confirmed that Khawaja won't wear shoes that will have Pro-Gaza messages written on it.
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