Usman Khawaja rejects SEN interview after Peter Lalor’s mid-tour sacking

Usman Khawaja has declined a post-play interview with broadcaster SEN, seemingly in protest with the radio station’s decision to sack journalist Peter Lalor earlier this year.

Usman Khawaja has declined a post-play interview with broadcaster SEN, seemingly in protest with the radio station’s decision to sack journalist Peter Lalor earlier this year.

Khawaja – who made 47 in Australia’s first innings of the first Test – is understood to have turned down a request for a post-play interview with SEN, who has sent a commentary team to the Caribbean for the Test series between the West Indies and Australia.

The veteran opener had been outspoken in his criticism of SEN’s call to part ways with long-time cricket writer Lalor midway through the tour of Sri Lanka earlier this year over a series of tweets and retweets he had made about the Gaza war.

Peter Lalor was let go by SEN midway through Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka.

“Standing up for the people of Gaza is not antisemitic nor does it have anything to do with my Jewish brothers and sisters in Australia but everything to do with the Israeli government and their deplorable actions,” Khawaja said.

“It has everything to do with justice and human rights.”

Khawaja has been highly vocal over the conflict since it began in October, 2023. He sought to wear a human rights slogan written in Palestinian flag colours on his shoes during the Perth Test of 2023, only to be blocked from doing so by the ICC.

Khawaja declined to comment about the matter when contacted by this masthead.

SEN, a media rights partner of Cricket Australia, has declined to comment, while its chief executive Craig Hutchison has been contacted.

MORE CRICKET

Analysis: Proof Australia’s problems ran deeper than Marnus

Cummins told where to go in dramatic opening day

While you were sleeping: Windies tyro gets last laugh as Konstas cops it

Usman Khawaja was among Australia’s better batters on day one. Picture: AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan

Lalor, in the West Indies working for his Cricket Et Al brand, said: “Usman is a man of principle whose support I valued greatly when I was dismissed and whose ongoing support I appreciate.”

Following Lalor’s exit between the first and second Tests in Sri Lanka episode, Hutchison said via The Sounding Board podcast that he believed Lalor’s tweeting could be deemed offensive “Pete told me that his method on X was to mostly share content generated by others that he felt needed to be seen, or re-posting, or retweeting, without necessarily offering comment on that material himself,” Hutchison said.

“I discussed with Pete that (his) retweeting could be misinterpreted, and the possibilities of members of the community could be offended by the retweeting.

“And now we have a clear position for all employees, including in Pete’s freelance agreement in our social media policy.”

Originally published as Usman Khawaja rejects SEN interview after Peter Lalor’s mid-tour sacking