“He is standing up for what he believes and that i assume he’s done it really respectfully,” Australian skipper says
Australian batter Usman Khawaja gets some plenty-needed aid from his skipper Pat Cummins within the wake of the continuing controversy round his views on Israel’s war unfolding in Gaza.
Cummins has termed Khawaja’s views “now not offensive” and a bid to bring interest to the humanitarian disaster.
The Australian captain’s guide for his teammate comes an afternoon after the international Cricket Council (ICC) denied Khawaja permission to apply a peace symbol on his bat and footwear throughout the Boxing Day fit against Pakistan.
The cricketer changed into visible sporting a decal on his bat and shoes showing a black dove maintaining an olive branch and the words 01:UDHR — a connection with Article one of the standard announcement of Human Rights — in the course of a exercise consultation ahead of the second one take a look at fit.
The 36-year-antique, a Muslim, turned into stopped from wearing footwear emblazoned with the hand-written slogans “Freedom is a human proper” and “All lives are identical” all through the first check in Perth.
Also read: ICC refuses to allow Usman Khawaja to put ‘peace sign’ on bat
The ICC stated they flouted its policies on messages that relate to politics, religion or race.
“We without a doubt support Uzzy. he’s standing up for what he believes and that i suppose he’s completed it virtually respectfully,” Cummins told newshounds at the eve of the check in Melbourne.
“As I said last week, ‘All lives are equal’, I don’t assume that is very offensive and i would say the identical about the dove.
“It is Uzzy. I assume he can surely preserve his head high with the manner he is long gone about it.
“however glaringly there may be rules in area and i accept as true with the ICC have said they may be now not going to approve that. They make up the regulations and you have were given to simply accept it.”
Khawaja wore a black armband throughout the Perth take a look at and changed into reprimanded through the ICC, however insisted it changed into for a “personal bereavement” and not politically stimulated.
Ultimate week, he spoke approximately how the Israel-Hamas battle had affected him.
“Whilst i’m searching at my Instagram and seeing innocent children, films of them loss of life, passing away, that is what hit me the toughest,” he said.
“I have no agendas other than seeking to shine a mild on what I feel actually passionately, in reality strongly approximately.”
