During the second Test in Melbourne, a close-up photo showed Khawaja’s shoes with his daughters’ names taped to them. Despite wanting to put a sticker with a black dove and the words 01:UDHR (referring to Article One of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights) on his bat and shoes, the International Cricket Council (ICC) denied Khawaja permission. He had faced a similar situation in the first Test in Perth when he couldn’t wear shoes with slogans like “Freedom is a human right” and “All lives are equal” due to ICC rules against messages related to politics, religion, or race. Khawaja, expressing frustration on Instagram, wished everyone Merry Christmas and used hashtags like #inconsistent and #doublestandards. Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley noted Khawaja’s passion for human rights.

“We supported Usman with an application (to the ICC) which really felt non-partisan, non-religious, apolitical,” he told broadcaster ABC of Khawaja’s bid to wear the dove symbol.

“Equally, the ICC has its regulations and they are there for good reason so we have to respect those.

“But I think the main way we deal with this (type of issue) is through good communication and working together.”

Last week, Khawaja 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,” he said.

“I just imagine my young daughter in my arms … I get emotional talking about it again. I don’t have any hidden agendas.”

The 36-year-old wore an armband during the team’s 360-run victory in Perth, which was initially seen as a gesture of support for people in Gaza due to the Israel-Hamas conflict. He intended to wear shoes with handwritten slogans like “Freedom is a human right” and “All lives are equal,” but the ICC rules against messages related to politics, religion, or race prevented it. Khawaja covered the messages with tape and wore the armband, claiming it was for personal bereavement, but the ICC considered it a breach of their clothing and equipment regulations.

“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 said late Thursday.

“This is a breach under the category of an ‘other breach’ and the sanction for a first offence is a reprimand.”

Khawaja said he would not wear an armband during the second Test in Melbourne next week, but remained defiant.

“No, I’m not wearing it again. As I said to the ICC, the armband was for a personal bereavement,” he told reporters in Melbourne.

“The armband was different to my shoes. The shoes were very obvious. At the end of the day I didn’t wear the shoes. I respected the rules and procedures and left it at that.”

He added that being reprimanded for the armband “makes no sense” and pointed to other players who had previously put stickers on their bats and names on their shoes without approval and escaped punishment, urging the ICC to be more consistent.

“I will just be asking and contesting that they (ICC) make it fair for everyone and they have consistency in how they officiate. That’s all I ask for, and from my point of view, that consistency hasn’t been done yet,” he said.

The cricketer from Pakistan planned to wear boots with the messages “Freedom is a human right” and “All lives are equal,” written in the colors of the Palestinian flag during the match at Perth Stadium. However, Cricket Australia rejected the idea, citing the ICC Code of Conduct, which prohibits players from displaying messages on clothing or equipment without prior approval. Cricket Australia stated, “While we support our players’ right to express personal opinions, we expect them to adhere to the ICC rules that prohibit the display of personal messages.”

“We support the right of our players to express personal opinions, but the ICC has rules in place which prohibit the display of personal messages which we expect the players to uphold,” Cricket Australia said in a statement.

Captain Pat Cummins Backs Teammate but Opts Not to Wear Advocacy Shoes

“I don’t think his intention was to make too big of a fuss. I think he had ‘all lives are equal’. I don’t think that’s very divisive. I don’t think anyone can have too many complaints about that,” said Cummins.