- Khawaja planned to wear a message on his shoes during the first Test
- ICC intervened and banned him from displaying the messages
- Cricket Australia's boss has explained why the ban makes sense
Cricket Australia boss Nick Hockley has stated that allowing Usman Khawaja to wear a humanitarian message on his boots during the first Test in Perth could have set a 'difficult' precedent and left little room to wiggle for the veteran opener who vowed to fight the ban.
Khawaja was banned from wearing shoes with the words 'all lives are equal' and 'freedom is a human right', in solidarity with the victims of warfare in the Middle East, by the existing rules of the International Cricket Council, which CA demanded he 'maintained'. .
Khawaja, a proud Muslim, branded the statement “disappointing” and questioned how the common phrases could be considered offensive or even politically divisive.
Hockley indicated that CA would review the situation between the first and second Tests of Australia's series against Pakistan, claiming to support Khawaja.
But he also said CA would support the ICC's position and said any changes to the rules would require much more time and thought, effectively ruling out a change before the second Test on Boxing Day.
Khawaja opted to wear a black armband instead after the ICC banned his message on his shoes
Khawaja planned to play the message 'all lives are bad' on his shoe in response to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine
“The most important thing is that there are processes in place, but it has to be done in the right way and with the necessary lead time,” Hockley said Friday.
'It's about priority and about a certain degree of control.
'People represent their country in cricket matches. Then if it just opened up, it would be very, very difficult.
“If you do find yourself in a situation where people are bringing up things that are inappropriate, then you have no control.”
Hockley has already discussed the situation with Khawaja to remind him of the government's support, but also its position and the rationale for the ICC's rules.
“We definitely want to support all our players who care about certain things to express themselves,” Hockley told SEN.
“But when you play cricket for your country, when you represent your country, I think those (ICC) guidelines and regulations are there for a reason.”
Cricket Australia boss Nick Hockley said they effectively had no choice but to toe the line with the ICC as it would set 'a difficult precedent'.
The CA boss was unsure whether the black armband Khawaja wore instead, with tape over the text on his shoes, would be interpreted by the ICC as a personal message and possible grounds for sanctions.
“That is something for the ICC and the match referees,” he said.
“Everyone is really focused on the cricket now, and it's something we'll talk about next week,” he said.
“It's best to do that outside of a test match.”