ICC reject Usman Khawaja’s bid to wear dove logo on bat and shoes for Boxing Day Test against Pakistan

Usman Khawaja has once again been denied to don a humanitarian message – this time, a black dove holding an olive branch on his bat and shoes in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza – by the International Cricket Council ahead of Australia’s Boxing Day Test in Melbourne against Pakistan.

The Aussie opener, who was denied to wear shoes with the text, ‘all lives are equal’ for the Perth Test, had trained at the MCG nets on Sunday wearing shoes with the aforementioned logo. Khawaja also had a sticker of the same on his bat with a reference to article one of the Universal declaration of Human Rights: “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.”

Per The Sydney Morning Herald, Khawaja had checked the logo with both Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association and got no objection from either body, but a rejection of his application arrived from the ICC on Sunday morning.

After his bid to wear shoes with a message in the first Test match was denied, Khawaja had instead worn a black armband for which he was reprimanded by cricket’s world governing body. “Usman displayed a personal message [armband] during the first Test match against Pakistan without seeking the prior approval of Cricket Australia and the ICC to display it, as required in the regulations for personal messages,” the ICC had said on the matter.

An emotional Usman Khawaja addresses why he’s speaking up for human rights issues this summer ☮️ #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/3QDjUWpjgG

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 22, 2023

“I followed all the regulations, past precedents, guys that 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 respect what the ICC and the rules and regulations they have,” Khawaja stated on Friday.

“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. 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 just imagine my young daughter in my arms and the same thing. I get emotional talking about it right now again. For me, that’s the reason I’m doing this. I don’t have any hidden agendas,” he added.

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It’s not a first instance of an Australian player using a bat with a logo and a message. The black dove resembles the eagle logo Marnus Labuschagne has on his bat alongside the bible verse 40:31 text.

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