Usman Khawaja has been reprimanded by the ICC for wearing black armbands during the first Australia vs Pakistan Test in Perth last week.
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Khawaja was embroiled in controversy over wearing shoes with messages of “All lives are equal” and “Freedom is a human right” during training before the first Test in Perth. He then doubled down on his protest by wearing a black armband during the game after ICC stopped him from displaying those messages.
The ICC have now reprimanded Khawaja for the act for breaching their clothing and equipment rules and regulations.
Khawaja’s original messages demonstrated his support for the victims of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. He was warned by the ICC that displaying those messages would result in sanctions since they were political in nature and ICC’s clothing and equipment rules and regulations prohibit any sort of political messaging.
Ahead of the Test match, Khawaja released an emotional video where he said he would respect ICC’s decision but vowed to continue his fight for the cause. On the morning of the Test, he came out to bat sporting a black armband and the names of his daughters written on his shoes.
Thank you to all those who supported and gave me love this week. It wasn't unnoticed 💕. Nothing worthwhile is easy. History shows we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of our past. But together we can fight for a better future. 🙏🏾 #freedomisahumanright #alllivesareequal pic.twitter.com/HAhbebDbCT
— Usman Khawaja (@Uz_Khawaja) December 18, 2023
The ICC had not acted against Khawaja, but they issued him a reprimand today (December 21). The protocols state that players need to get permission from the home board as well as the ICC for wearing black armbands, and Khawaja had not done that.
“Usman Khawaja has been charged for breaching Clause F of the Clothing and Equipment Regulations, which can be found on the ICC Playing Conditions page. The sanctions for a breach of the regulations are outlined in Appendix 2,” an ICC spokesperson said.
“Usman displayed a personal message (arm band) during the 1st 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. This is a breach under the category of an ‘other breach’ and the sanction for a first offence is a reprimand.”
ICC’s clothing and equipment regulations state that if a personal message displayed by a player appears to be political in nature, it would most likely be prohibited: “Where the purpose of a message appears to be commemorative in nature (e.g. the use of a black armband or a poppy) or to serve a charitable purpose (e.g. to generate funds or awareness for a non-political charitable cause), it is more likely to be permitted; where a message appears to indicate support for a particular government, political party or individual, it is more likely to be prohibited.”
It remains to be seen how Khawaja responds to this reprimand and whether he continues sporting the black armband in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne or not.
