Follow UsDuring the first Test against Pakistan, Australian opener Usman Khawaja was seen sporting the messages "all lives are equal" and "freedom is a human right” on his spikes, which led to a huge cry. Then he wore a black armband to show his support for the affected parties in Gaza. but the ICC struck that down, citing they flouted its rules on messages that relate to politics, religion, or race.
Khawaja has also been denied permission by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to have a sticker showing a black dove holding an olive branch on his bat and shoes during the second Test against Pakistan. The logo, which he displayed during training on Sunday, also had the words 01:UDHR -- a reference to Article One of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights -- written on it.
However, Australia captain Pat Cummins threw his support behind Khawaja on Monday, saying his bid to bring attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was "not offensive".
"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's 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," Cummins said in the pre-match press conference.
"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 that he thinks isn't necessary. We support him.
"That's the environment we try to create. Everyone is at their best when they're bringing their own self to any group. We're talking about people here, not just talking about guys who hit a cricket ball or bowl a cricket ball, they're real people.
"When you're happy off the field you tend to play better and play with more freedom and clarity on the field, and I think the best way to get that is to bring your own individual self to the group and we try to encourage that. It's great that people like Uzzy feel like they can be themselves and stand up for things they're passionate about within the team."
Khawaja wore a black armband during the Perth Test and was reprimanded by the ICC, but insisted it was for a "personal bereavement" and not politically motivated. Last week, he spoke about how the Israel-Hamas conflict had affected him.
"When I'm looking at my Instagram and seeing innocent kids, videos of them dying, passing away, that's what hit me the hardest. I don't have any agendas other than trying to shine a light on what I feel really passionately, really strongly about."