Australian Test opener Usman Khawaja got emotional while speaking on humanitarian message 'All Lives Are Equal' to show solidarity with victims of Palestine on Friday, December 22.
Khawaja was reprimanded by International Cricket Council (ICC) for breaching its code of conduct for wearing the black armband without approval of the board during the first Test against Pakistan at Optus Stadium in Perth.
Australian batter was banned from wearing 'All Lives Are Equal' and 'Freedom Is A Human Right' shoes for the Test series opener against Pakistan. Instead, Khawaja walked out to bat by wearing black armband, a move at the time seen as support for people in Gaza, where over 1000 have been killed.
Speaking at the MCG, Usman Khawaja asserted that he doesn't have any agendas rather than trying to shed light on issue that is important for him. He added that the message on his shoes was something that he really thought for a while and kept religion out of this issue.
"I don't have any agendas rather than trying to shine light on what I feel really passionate about, really strong about. I'm trying to do it in the most respectful way as possible" The Australian opener said.
"What I wrote on my shoes was really I thought about it for a while, what I was going to write. I made sure I didn't want to segregate different parts of the population, religious beliefs, and communities. Hence, I kept religion out of this." he added.
Khawaja justifies over his 'All Lives Are Equal' shoes
Usman Khawaja provide a justification for wearing Pro-Palestine shoes and black armband for the first Test between Australia and Pakistan in Perth.
The Australian batter stated that he wanted to be broad while speaking as he was speaking humanitarian issues while referring to Article 1 of Declaration of Human Rights. He added that he did it because he was hit by looking at the conditions of kids in Palestine.
"I want it to be really broad over my speaking because I'm talking about humanitarian issues. I'm talking about Article 1 of the unified Declaration of Human Right. That's literally the crux of it."
"The reason I'm doing it because it hit me hard. When I'm looking at my Instagram and I'm seeing innocent kids dying, passing away, that's what hit me the hardest."
'Personal Bereavement' - Usman Khawaja on black armband
Usman Khawaja stated that the black armband that I wore during the Perth Test was of 'personal bereavement' and nothing political, after being reprimanded by ICC.
According to International Cricket Council, Khawaja breached their clothing and equipment regulations.
The Australian batter said he wouldn't wear the black armband for the MCG Test but remained defiant over the matter. He added that armband was different from message on the shoes.
"No, I’m not wearing it again. As I said to the ICC, the armband was for a personal bereavement,” he said.
“The armband was different to my shoes. The shoes were very obvious. At the end of the day I didn’t wear the shoes. I respected the rules and procedures and left it at that.” Usman Khawaja
