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Usman Khawaja has prepared a formal application to Cricket Australia and the International Cricket Council for permission to continue highlighting human rights in the Israel-Gaza conflict.<\/p>\n
The opener is facing censure from the ICC after being charged with breaching the world governing body\u2019s clothing and equipment regulations for his black armband protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza during the first Test in Perth.<\/p>\n
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Usman Khawaja bats during day four of the Men\u2019s First Test match between Australia and Pakistan on December 17. He has been charged by the ICC.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n If found guilty, the most severe sanction Khawaja can receive for a first offence is a reprimand, meaning he would be free to play in the Boxing Day Test. Under the ICC\u2019s sanctions, even a fourth offence within 12 months would not incur a suspension, producing instead a fine of 75 per cent of his match fee.<\/p>\n \u201cUsman 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,\u201d an ICC spokesperson said in a statement sent to this masthead on Thursday night.<\/p>\n \u201cUsman 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 \u2018other breach\u2019 and the sanction for a first offence is a reprimand.\u201d<\/p>\n It came as sources close to CA, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter freely, said Khawaja had already applied to the governing bodies for permission to spread his message at the MCG.<\/p>\n A CA spokesman would only say that discussions were taking place. At the time of publication an ICC spokesman was checking with the cricket council\u2019s operations department to see if an application had been received.<\/p>\n Khawaja flew to Melbourne ahead of his Australian teammates to help launch CA\u2019s Multicultural Action Plan, aimed at making cricket a more inclusive sport, today. The event will give Khawaja another platform to raise awareness about the loss of life in the Israel-Gaza conflict, which is expected to be the focus of the press conference.<\/p>\n At training before the first Test, Khawaja wore shoes with the words \u201call lives are equal\u201d and \u201cfreedom is a human right\u201d written on the sides. Khawaja intended to wear the shoes during the Test but, after a reminder from CA that he would be breaking ICC rules, he switched to the black armband.<\/p>\n Usman Khawaja wearing \u201cAll lives are equal\u201d on his shoes during an Australian nets session at the WACA on Tuesday.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n Khawaja, the first Muslim to play for Australia, continued to highlight his concerns late on Wednesday by posting an Instagram story with the headline \u201c24,000 civilians, 10,000 children\u201d. It was tagged Gaza Strip with the dateline 7 October – 19 December. The graphic included figures including \u201c52,390 injured\u201d and \u201c1,900,000\u201d displaced.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a lot of kind-hearted people out there,\u201d he wrote. \u201cNothing worthwhile is easy. History shows we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of our past. But together we can fight for a better future.\u201d<\/p>\n During the Perth Test a banner was displayed using the same slogans Khawaja was banned from wearing on his shoes: \u201call lives are equal\u201d and \u201cfreedom is a human right\u201d.<\/p>\n The banner was removed a short time after it was unfurled under CA\u2019s wide-ranging terms and conditions of entry, which say ticket holders \u201cwill not: wear or otherwise display commercial, political, religious or offensive signage or logos\u201d.<\/p>\n The MCG and SCG, which will host the second and third Tests against Pakistan from Boxing Day and early in the the New Year, confirmed to this masthead that they would adhere to the policy. It will also apply to the West Indies Tests in Adelaide and Brisbane during January.<\/p>\n News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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