‘I don’t really see the controversy’: Usman Khawaja doubles down and vows to challenge ICC ruling

Usman Khawaja has doubled down on his criticism of the ICC during an interview before Australia’s first Test against Pakistan.

Australian opener Usman Khawaja has lashed the ICC for censoring him as he vows to fight cricket’s governing body in a bid to wear shoes with messages of support for civilians in Gaza.

Khawaja was spotted at training wearing shoes with the words “all lives are equal” and “freedom is a human right” but was told not to wear them for the first Test in Perth after he was warned by the ICC that he faced heavy sanctions given it has rules in place that prohibit the display of personal messages.

The veteran opener took to social media on Wednesday night to express his disappointment and echoed those sentiments less than an hour before the opening ball in Perth where he wore the same shoes but had taped over the writing.

Before play began in the first Test on Thursday, Khawaja expressed his displeasure with the sport’s governing body.

“I am a grown man I can do anything I want, but I think the ICC will keep coming down and giving me fines and at some point it will detract from the game,” he told Channel 7.

“I stand by what I said, I will stand by that, I think forever.”

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... pic.twitter.com/8eaPnBfUEb

— Usman Khawaja (@Uz_Khawaja) December 13, 2023

He went further talking to Fox Cricket declaring he would always be true to his values and stand up for what he believed in.

“A part of it for me, if I’m being honest, is a little disappointing,” he told Fox Cricket.

“I don’t really see the controversy of ‘all lives matter’ and saying ‘freedom is a human right’.

“I don’t see where it becomes political.

“For me, this is personal, and because it’s my personal opinion, I find it hard to accept where people find what I said distasteful.

“No one is ever going to agree with everyone, and I accept that, but for me, it makes me feel a little bit uneasy that people find those words uneasy.

“It hasn’t been just yesterday. It’s been an emotional rollercoaster for the past couple of months.

“I’ll always stand up for what I believe in, even if people don’t agree with me or they don’t like me saying it.

“I want to look back on my career and say ‘I stood up for my values’. I respect what I did on the field, but I also respect myself for what I did off the field. That to me at some level – probably most level – means more.”

Usman Khawaja will fight the ICC after they threatened to punish him if he wrote anything on his shoes. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

Khawaja, who is Muslim and has been left devastated by what’s happened in the Middle East over the past two months, will fight to have the ban overturned and has vowed to continue providing a voice to those without one.

“I just think that so much has happened in the past that sets a precedent,” he said, having received strong support from skipper Pat Cummins.

“I’m in full support of Black Lives Matter, and there are plenty of guys who have written on their shoes before.

“Other guys have religious things on their equipment, and under ICC guidelines that’s not technically allowed, but the ICC never says anything on that.

“I find it a little disappointing that they came down hard on me when they don’t always come down hard on everyone else.

“That was probably the most frustrating part, but at the end of the day there’s not much I can do about it. All I can do is fight it appropriately however I can.

“I’m not going to get emotional because there’s already enough emotion in this.

“I’m not doing this for any other reason than to spread the word and to help those who don’t have a voice.

“I always came in with good intentions, and I’ll leave with good intentions.”

Originally published as ‘I don’t really see the controversy’: Usman Khawaja doubles down and vows to challenge ICC ruling