Usman Khawaja punished for wearing black arm-band in support of Hamas-backed Palestine

Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has been vocal about supporting Palestine in Gaza conflict.

Australia opener Usman Khawaja has been reprimanded by International Cricket Council (ICC) for donning a black armband during the first test against Pakistan in Perth.

Khawaja, Muslim hailing from Pakistan, has been vocal about his support for Palestine amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.

Khawaja donned shoes with the slogans “all lives are equal” and “freedom is a human right” printed on the sides during training before the first test. Khawaja had planned to wear the shoes during the test, but once CA reminded him that he would be violating ICC rules, he switched to the black armband.

Khawaja, the first Muslim to play for Australia, continued to highlight his concerns late on Wednesday by posting an Instagram story with the headline “24,000 civilians, 10,000 children”.

Usman Khawaja has been charged with breaching Clause F of the Clothing and Equipment Regulations of the ICC

Khawaja’s act of wearing a black armband has earned him a reprimand from ICC, which said Khawaja did not get the armband approved before wearing it in Perth, a move he declared was made in support of Palestinians in Gaza. On Thursday night, ICC took action over a “breach” by the 36-year-old.

“Usman Khawaja has been charged for breaching Clause F of the Clothing and Equipment Regulations, which can be found on the ICC Playing Conditions page. The sanctions for a breach of the regulations are outlined in Appendix 2,” an ICC spokesperson said in a statement sent to this masthead on Thursday night.

“Usman displayed a personal message (armband) during the 1st 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. This is a breach under the category of an ‘other breach’ and the sanction for a first offense is a reprimand,” the statement added.

It came as sources close to CA, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter freely, that Usman Khawaja has prepared a formal application to Cricket Australia and the International Cricket Council for permission to continue highlighting human rights in Israel-Gaza conflict.

CA representative would only confirm that talks were taking underway. An ICC spokesman was verifying with the Cricket Council’s operations department at the time of publication to determine if an application had been received.

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