Australian cricketer rebukes ICC for double standards over Gaza support

This picture shows Australia's batsman Usman Khawaja at a match held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Melbourne, Australia, Dec. 26, 2023. (Photo by AFP)

Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has once again denounced the International Cricket Council (ICC) over its double standards regarding his showing solidarity during matches with innocent Gazans killed in Palestine.

The ICC reportedly barred Khawaja this week from displaying any show of support for the defenseless Palestinians trapped in the besieged Gaza Strip under the Israeli war machine's fearsome attacks.

Khawaja planned to show his support for Palestinians by decorating his bat during the Boxing Day test with the image of a dove with an olive branch accompanied by the message “01: UDHR”, a reference to the first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that human rights are universal and inalienable. Australian media reported that the ICC refused to allow him to display this message on his bat.

Earlier this month, Khawaja had been reprimanded by the ICC for wearing a black armband in the first test against Pakistan in Perth.

Khawaja had initially intended to express his support for Palestine by writing the messages "Freedom is a human right" and "All lives are equal" on his boots in the colors of the Palestinian flag, but that show of support was also barred by ICC.

The International Cricket Council's Code of Conduct forbids players from wearing, displaying or conveying messages through arm bands or other items on clothing or equipment without prior approval. And, this applies particularly for “political, religious or racial” purposes by the players.

Khawaja and his supporters, however, pointed out that this Code of Conduct has not stopped other players from displaying their messages of support in the past.

Cricket players from the West Indies were permitted to wear “Black Lives Matter” logos on their shirts during a test series against England in 2020.

In a video he posted on Instagram late on the eve of the second test against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Monday, Khawaja also posted pictures of other international players displaying religious symbols and messages on their bats.

He captioned his post: “Merry Christmas everybody, sometimes you just gotta laugh … #inconsistent #doublestandards.”

The Pakistan-born Khawaja who moved to Australia as a boy represents the Australian national team and Queensland state.

In the meantime, the people in the besieged Gaza Strip have been under nonstop Israeli regime forces attacks for months.

Since, Oct. 7 at least 21,320 people, mostly women and children, have been killed by the Israeli regime forces.

Also, the entire 2.3 million population of Gaza is suffering from critical levels of hunger, with 576,600 people in a starvation stage.