Former West Indies pacer Michael Holding condemned the International Cricket Council’s duplicity in reprimanding Australian batsman Usman Khawaja for donning a black insignia in support of Gaza’s civilians during the Perth Test against Pakistan.
Holding told The Australian, “I have been following the Khawaja controversy and I cannot say I am surprised by the ICC’s stance.””If it had been most other organisations that showed some semblance of consistency with their attitude and behaviour on issues I could claim surprise, but not them,” according to him.
Comparable to the ICC’s position in the Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ movements, where the organization readily extended its support, Holding drew parallels.
However, Khawaja was deterred from wearing shoes emblazoned with the inscriptions “Freedom is a human right” and “All lives are equal” during the inaugural Test after being informed that doing so would violate ICC regulations.
Following that, the opener participated in the match while wearing a black armband devoid of any communication, yet the ICC still levied a charge against him.
Khawaja subsequently submitted an application to the International Cricket Council (ICC) requesting permission to exhibit a decal depicting a black dove holding an olive branch during the Boxing Day Test on Tuesday against Pakistan. The application made reference to Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Despite the absence of any objections from the cricket authorities in Australia, Khawaja’s application was denied by the ICC.
“Once again, they show their hypocrisy and lack of moral standing as an organisation,” stated the meeting.
“Re-messaging approval shall not be granted for messages pertaining to political, religious, or racial activities or causes,” state ICC regulations. Therefore, how the f*** were individuals permitted to kneel for BLM while having their limbs covered in LGBTQ hues?