Australian opening batter, Usman Khawaja was denied permission by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to display a picture of a dove and an olive branch on his bat and shoes on Sunday ahead of the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan.
However, he still maintains the stance on raising awareness of humanitarian issues especially the ongoing crisis in Gaza. Khawaja took to Instagram where he called out the apex body’s double standards over the matter.
A post shared by Usman Khawaja (@usman_khawajy)
The post highlighted the point, “Approval shall not be granted for messages which relate to political, religious or racial activities or causes.”
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The video then transitioned into pictures of the West Indies cricketer Nicholas Pooran who had a cross on his bat, fellow team-mate Marnus Labuschagne who also has a symbol on his bat displaying his faith along with the South African off-spinner Keshav Maharaj who had an Om symbol on his bat as well showing his faith in Hinduism.
The previous week, Khawaja had spoken on the impact the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has had on him.
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“When I’m looking at my Instagram and seeing innocent kids, videos of them dying, passing away, that’s what hit me the hardest,” he also added.
But Khawaja also cleared the air that he does not have any agenda behind promoting awareness of the ongoing humanitarian issues.
Khawaja will look to make a statement both off and on the field as Australia will take on Pakistan in the second Test of the series. Australia have been dominant in the series so far having won the previous Test by 360 runs.
David Warner stole the show with a scintillating century in the first innings to start his final Test series before retirement on a high note.
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