West Indian cricketing and broadcasting icon Michael Holding has blasted the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) decision to charge Australian opener Usman Khawaja for wearing a black armband during the Perth Test against Pakistan.
Khawaja had intended to wear shoes with the words “All lives are equal” and “Freedom is a human right” written on them, reflecting his concern over the humanitarian crisis following Israel’s invasion of Gaza.
But informed that that would breach ICC rules, he backed down from wearing the message.
During the first Test, however, Khawaja donned a black armband for a “personal bereavement” – but was still reprimanded by the ICC.
If players are to wear a black armband, approval must be gained by the ICC, which Khawaja did not seek prior to the match.
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More recently, Khawaja’s application to display a sticker of a black dove with an olive branch for Tuesday’s Boxing Day Test, again referring to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, was also denied by the ICC.
The dove was accompanied by a reference to Article One of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Article One states: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”
Khawaja gained permission from both Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association to display the logo – but was then denied by the ICC.
Starc in preparation for Boxing Day Test | 01:36
In an interview with The Australian, Holding wasn’t able to hide his disdain for the ICC’s approach, also noting the inconsistencies regarding the organisation’s support for the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020.
“I have been following the Khawaja fiasco and I cannot say I’m surprised by the ICC’s stance,” Holding said.
“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.
“Once again, they show their hypocrisy and lack of moral standing as an organisation.
“The ICC regulations say re messaging ‘approval shall not be granted for messages which relate to political, religious or racial activities or causes’.
“So how the f*** people were allowed to take the knee for BLM and stumps were covered with LGBTQ colours?”
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