‘Double standards’: Usman Khawaja takes fresh aim at ICC on Boxing Day Eve

Australian opener Usman Khawaja has blasted the ICC as “inconsistent” and having “double standards” in a withering attack ahead of the Boxing Day Test.

Usman Khawaja has taken fresh aim at the ICC for blocking his request to wear stickers of a dove with an olive branch on his bat and shoes, blasting the governing body for “double standards.”

That came after Australian captain Pat Cummins labelled Khawaja’s request as “pretty vanilla,” suggesting that he cannot see the difference between the dove and the Bible-verse and eagle adorned on teammate Marnus Labuschagne’s bat.

The ICC confirmed late on Sunday night that Khawaja’s request to wear stickers of a dove holding an olive branch as well as a reference to Article 1 of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights during the Boxing Day Test had been denied.

It was the latest chapter of a saga involving the veteran batter and the governing body, who have been at loggerheads over Khawaja’s desire to publicly acknowledge what he sees as a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Khawaja took to Instagram on Monday night, posting a montage of images including his bat, and the bible verse on Labuschagne’s bat alongside the ICC’s regulations.

Pat Cummins supports Usman Khawaja in his battle with the ICC. Picture: Morgan Hancock/Getty Images

“Merry Christmas everybody. Sometimes you just gotta laugh. Cya at Boxing Day! #inconsistent #doublestandards,” Khawaja wrote.

Cummins said he supported Khawaja’s right to express himself but that ultimately the ICC’s position had to be respected.

“I don’t know the ins and outs of the application, but I think it is pretty vanilla, a dove,” Cummins said at the MCG on Christmas Day.

“We really support Uzzy, I think he’s standing up for what he believes and I think he’s doing it really respectfully.

“(His initial message was) ‘all lives are equal’ and I don’t think that’s very offensive, and I’d say the same about the dove. That’s Uzzy. He can hold his head high the way he’s gone about it, but there are rules in place, so I believe the ICC have said they’re not going to approve that. They make up the rules and you’ve got to accept it.”

Asked whether he saw much of a difference between the dove and the sticker routinely displayed on observant Christian Labuschagne’s bat, Cummins said: “not really, no.”

Khawaja initially asked to be able to don human rights slogans written in the Palestinian colours of red, black and green on his shoes during the first Test against Pakistan in Perth. With that request knocked back, he wore a black armband during the match, albeit he has since stated that he did the latter to mark a personal bereavement. In any case he has been charged by the ICC for failing to seek permission before the match.

Despite the choice of colours on the shoe messages, Khawaja has stressed that he is not taking sides in the Israel-Hamas war, and that he is an advocate for human rights above all else. Some senior cricket sources in Australia had taken exception to the fact Khawaja made his initial stand, particularly the fact he chose one side’s colours.

Cummins said he had discussed the situation with Khawaja.

Cummins with wife Becky and son Albie. Picture: Morgan Hancock/Getty Images

“I’ve spoken to Uzzy a fair bit. I won’t go into too [much] depth, but it’s really similar to what he’s said publicly. He just sees all lives as equal, he sees the war there as a waste, and there’s a lot of loss that he’s trying to shine a light on what he thinks isn’t necessary. We support him,” Cummins said.

The ICC said that it supported Khawaja’s right to promote human rights outside the playing field.

“The ICC, after giving due consideration to Usman Khawaja’s request for a personal message logo on his bat for the remainder of the Test series against Pakistan, did not approve the application. Personal messages of this nature are not allowed as per Clause F of the Clothing and Equipment Regulations, which can be found on the ICC Playing Conditions page,” said an ICC spokesperson.

“The ICC is supportive of players using their platforms outside of the playing arena to promote human rights, peace and equality and would encourage him to continue to use alternative platforms.”

Khawaja v ICC: Aussie batter’s sign of peace in protest battle

Usman Khawaja has made a fresh attempt to support human rights, donning a dove symbol on his bat and shoe in the nets on Sunday.

However, he appears set to be blocked from displaying the sticker during the Boxing Day Test as his battle with the ICC drags further into the summer.

The Australian opener batted in the nets outside the MCG on Sunday as his side geared up for the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan.

It had been in the corresponding training session in Perth ahead of the first Test of this series that Khawaja brought the ICC’s regulations around political statements on clothing to a head, when he donned shoes with the slogans “all lives are equal” and “freedom is a human right” written in the Palestinian colours of green, red and black.

Usman Khawaja in the MCG nets. Picture: William West

Khawaja indicated he had wished to wear the slogans in the Test series, but was denied permission by the global governing body.

He instead wore a black armband during the match, with the ICC charging the batter for doing so without permission. While it had been widely assumed that Khawaja was wearing the armband to circumvent the ban around the shoe messages, he claimed on Friday that he had told the ICC that he had done so for a personal bereavement, which is generally allowed.

In any case, Khawaja was back at it as the Aussies went through their paces two days out from the second Test.

The dove on Usman Khawaja’s shoes at the MCG.

Khawaja also donned a dove sticker on his shoe.

However the tiny dove image — a widely-recognised symbol of peace was present on his bat — along with text understood to be a reference to Article One of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states that: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood”.

Khawaja said on Friday that he didn’t believe the ICC had been applying their rules consistently.

“I followed all the regulations and past precedents,” Khawaja said.

“The ICC asked me what it was for, I told them it was for a personal bereavement – I never ever stated it was for anything else.

“Guys have put stickers on their bats, names on their shoes, done all sorts of things in the past without ICC approval and never been reprimanded.

“I will be asking them and contesting they make it fair and equitable for everyone and they have consistency in how they officiate. That consistency hasn’t been done yet.”

An ICC Spokesperson said: “The ICC, after giving due consideration to Usman Khawaja’s request for a personal message logo on his bat for the remainder of the Test series against Pakistan, did not approve the application. Personal messages of this nature are not allowed as per Clause F of the Clothing and Equipment Regulations, which can be found on the ICC Playing Conditions page.

“The ICC is supportive of players using their platforms outside of the playing arena to promote human rights, peace and equality and would encourage him to continue to use alternative platforms.”

Meanwhile off-spinner Todd Murphy trained with the squad on Sunday, but he has not formally been added to the Test squad and will be released to play with the Sydney Sixers on Boxing Day.

Originally published as ‘Double standards’: Usman Khawaja takes fresh aim at ICC on Boxing Day Eve