Australia opener Usman Khawaja came into limelight after he showed solidarity with the people caught in Israel-Hamas conflict. Khawaja was spotted wearing shoes with a message- “All lives are equal”, written on it during the training session ahead of first Test against Pakistan. However, he was forbidden by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to wear them on the match day. Later, some fans during the match between Pakistan and Australia, were seen holding the same slogans which were written on Khawaja’s shoes.
Now, taking to his Instagram, Khawaja thanked everyone who came in his support and even stated that he will continue to raise his voice over the issue.
“Thank you to all those who supported and gave me love this week. It wasn’t unnoticed. There are a lot of kind-hearted people out there. 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,” Khawaja wrote on his Instagram.
Earlier, the banner sharing the same opinion was spotted during the Australia vs Pakistan first Test. As soon as it caught the eye of the security, the banner was taken down.
“A sign was removed because it contravened Cricket Australia’s terms and conditions of entry,” the stadium authorities said in a statement.
“Some patrons were removed because of antisocial behaviour, not because of the sign,” it added.
On the eve of the first Test, Khawaja had also shared his opinions on social media.
“All Lives are Equal. Freedom is a Human right. I’m raising my voice for human rights. For a humanitarian appeal. If you see it any other way. That’s on you…,” wrote the southpaw while sharing a video.
As ICC forbade the batter to wear shoes with messages directing towards Israel-Hamas conflict, Khawaja appeared without his shoes during a media interview ahead the first Test against Pakistan.
“I’m a grown man, I can do anything I want, but the ICC will just keep coming down and giving me fines, and at some point, it will detract from the game. I stand by what I said. I’ll stand by it forever. But, I also need to go out there and really concentrate on what I’m doing,” Khawaja told 7Cricket.
(With AFP Inputs)
Topics mentioned in this article
