Australia’s Usman Khawaja sports shoes with daughters’ names in Pakistan Test
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A close-up photo of Usman Khawaja's shoes showed the names of his daughters, Aisha and Ayla, taped to the side of his footwear.
PHOTO: AFP
MELBOURNE – Australia’s Usman Khawaja wore shoes marked with his daughters’ names as he batted against Pakistan on Dec 26, after being banned from wearing references to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
An AFP close-up photo of the 37-year-old’s shoes showed the names of Khawaja’s daughters Aisha and Ayla taped to the side of his footwear during the opening day of the second Test in Melbourne.
Khawaja, who was out for 42, had been denied permission by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to have a sticker showing a black dove holding an olive branch on his bat and shoes during the match.
The logo, which he displayed during training on Dec 24, also had the words 01:UDHR – a reference to Article One of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – written on it.
Khawaja, a Muslim, was previously stopped from wearing shoes emblazoned with the hand-written slogans “Freedom is a human right” and “All lives are equal” during the first Test in Perth.
The ICC said those would go against its rules on messages that relate to politics, religion or race.
Khawaja posted an Instagram message on Dec 25, seemingly venting his frustration: “Merry Christmas everybody. Sometimes you just gotta laugh. Cya at Boxing Day!”
He marked his post with the hashtags #inconsistent and #doublestandards.
Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley said Khawaja was “passionate about human rights”.
“We supported Usman with an application (to the ICC) which really felt non-partisan, non-religious, apolitical,” he told broadcaster ABC of Khawaja’s bid to wear the dove symbol.
“Equally, the ICC has its regulations and they are there for good reason so we have to respect those.
“But I think the main way we deal with this (type of issue) is through good communication and working together.”
Last week, Khawaja spoke about how the Israel-Hamas conflict had affected him.
“When I’m looking at my Instagram and seeing innocent kids, videos of them dying, passing away, that’s what hit me the hardest,” he said.
“I just imagine my young daughter in my arms... I get emotional talking about it again. I don’t have any hidden agendas.”
The ICC has been contacted for comment.
Separately, football star Mohamed Salah said on Dec 25 that families grieving for their loved ones in Gaza should not be forgotten, as he issued an emotional Christmas message marking only his second comment on the war in the enclave.
The Liverpool forward posted a black-and-white picture of a Christmas tree on his social media pages, saying he was approaching Christmas with a heavy heart amid the fighting in Gaza, which has been under intense bombardment by Israel since Hamas militants launched a cross-border rampage on Oct 7.
“With the brutal war going on in the Middle East, especially the death and destruction in Gaza, this year we get to Christmas with very heavy hearts and we share the pain of those families who are grieving the loss of their loved ones,” said the Egyptian.
“Please do not forget them and do not get used to their suffering. Merry Christmas,” the 31-year-old wrote to his more than 63 million followers on Instagram and almost 19 million on X.
Salah had faced some criticism in his native Egypt after staying silent on the issue for more than a week after the war started, with many fans comparing his stance to other Arab sports figures who have been more vocal about it.
Egyptian Red Crescent officials said in October that Salah had made a “significant donation” to help the people of Gaza. AFP, REUTERS