Usman Khawaja: Decoding his black armband controversy
Australian opener Usman Khawaja finds himself in some trouble after he was reprimanded by the ICC for sporting a black armband during the Perth Test match against Pakistan. Khawaja, earlier had thought of wearing his boots which had a message in support of the lives lost in Gaza. However, the veteran has decided to challenge ICC's charge on him expecting consistency in their decisions.
Why does this story matter?
Khawaja had the initial plan of wearing his shoes which had the message stating "All lives are equal" and "freedom is a human right" to show solidarity toward the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The message was written in the colors of the Palestinian flag. However, due to ICC's regulations, he ditched that idea and sported a black armband instead during the Perth Test.
Khawaja gets charged by the ICC
Things were alright on Day 1 of the Test but soon the ICC realized that Khawaja had shifted to a black armband after they didn't allow him to wear the shoes. He was charged with breaching clause F of the Clothing and Equipment Regulations. As per the ICC, Khawaja did not seek any prior approval from the governing body or Cricket Australia.
A look at the ICC statement
"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," an ICC spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo. "This is a breach under the category of an 'other breach' and the sanction for a first offense is a reprimand."
Khawaja posted a video message
Khawaja posted a video message on social media in which he reiterated his support for civilians in Gaza. "The ICC has told me that I can't wear my shoes on-field because they believe it's a political statement under their guidelines. I don't believe it is," he said. "I will respect their view and decision but I will fight it and seek to gain approval."
Personal bereavement, not political statement: Usman Khawaja
Khawaja has challenged ICC's charges stating that the armband was for his bereavement and not to show support to the civilians in Gaza. "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 stated it was for anything else," the Australian opener told BBC.
Khawaja wants fairness on the ICC's part
"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," Khawaja added. "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."
Khawaja had a good outing in Perth against Pakistan
Khawaja was in his element in Perth as he slammed a 41 in the first innings followed by a well-made 90-run knock in the second innings. The veteran fell 10 runs short of his 16th Test century. Overall, Australia won the match by 360 runs.
Most runs in Test cricket in 2023
The 37-year-old is the highest run-getter in Test cricket this year with 1,168 runs from 12 matches, slamming three centuries and six fifties. Khawaja has an impressive average of 55.61. No other batter in 2023 has touched the 1,000-run mark in Test cricket. Overall, he has amassed 5,135 runs in 67 Tests at 47.54, hammering 15 centuries and 25 fifties.
