Cricket Australia reminds Usman Khawaja of ICC rules as he wears 'Palestine Conflict Slogan' on shoes
The decision by the batsman of the Australian cricket team, Usman Khawaja, to wear certain slogans on his shoes in training ahead of the first Test against Pakistan triggered a storm on social media. Khawaja's shoes read the messages "Freedom is a human right" and "All lives are equal." The top-order batter is said to have had plans to wear the message on his shoes in the first Test against Pakistan in Perth, but they had to be quashed after Cricket Australia cited 'ICC rules' on the matter.
Cricket Australia, in a statement, said: "We support the right of our players to express personal opinions. But the ICC has rules in place that prohibit the display of personal messages, which we expect the players to uphold."
The test captain of the Australian cricket team, Pat Cummins, was also asked about the topic, which is when he revealed that the batter has quashed the idea of wearing those boots on Day 1 of the Perth Test.
Pat told the reporters that "he had some words in his shoes. I think it's one of our strongest points about our team that everyone has their own personal views and thoughts. I chatted with Ussie about it briefly today. I don't think his intention was to make too big of a fuss, but we support him.