Australian opener Usman Khawaja is wearing a black armband on the opening day of first Test against Pakistan in Perth after being stopped from wearing shoes emblazoned with human rights messages.
Khawaja had planned to wear boots which sported the slogans “Freedom is a human right” and “All lives are equal”. However, he was not allowed to wear the shoes by Cricket Australia and the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Khawaja could have faced sanctions from the ICC, which includes being banned from taking the field, reprimand for a first offence or a 75 per cent match-fee fine, for wearing the shoes.
Players and officials are not allowed to display messages on their clothing or equipment unless given the nod in advance by their board or the ICC.
But Khawaja has vowed to fight the ICC’s mandate.
“I will try to (challenge the ICC) as soon as possible, whenever it is possible,” Khawaja told Channel 7 on Thursday.
“There already has been a precedent set in the past that ICC have allowed. A precedent set where players have done stuff in the past where the ICC hasn’t done anything.
“I find it a bit unfair that they have come down on me at this point in time where there definitely has been precedents in the past of similar things.
“I am a grown man I can do anything I want, but I think the ICC will keep coming down and giving me fines and at some point it will detract from the game.
“I stand by what I said, I will stand by that, I think forever. For me, I need to get out there and concentrate on what I am doing but it is right at the forefront of my mind.”
Khawaja told Fox Cricket he was disappointed over how many people had been unsettled by his stance.
“I don’t really see the controversy of ‘all lives matter’ and saying ‘freedom is a human’ right. I don’t see where it becomes political,” he said.
“I don’t really see the controversy of ‘all lives matter’ and saying ‘freedom is a human’ right. I don’t see where it becomes political.
“I find it hard to accept where people find what I said distasteful. No one is every going to agree with everyone, and I accept that. But it makes me feel a bit uneasy that people find those words uneasy.
“(But) I’ll always stand up for what I believe in even if people don’t agree with me and don’t like me saying it.”