Khawaja defies ICC’s ban with subtle protest

After being forced to tape up a message of support to all the lives lost in the Israel-Palestine conflict, Usman Khawaja opted to wear a black armband instead.

Speaking before the start of the day’s play, Khawaja told Fox Cricket his prevailing emotion was one of “frustration” when he was forced to cover the message on his shoes.

“I just think that so much has happened in the past that sets a precedent,” he said.

“I mean, I’m in full support of Black Lives Matter. There’s plenty of guys that have written on their shoes before. There’s other guys who have religious things on their equipment, and under the ICC guidelines that’s not technically allowed.

“But the ICC never says anything on that, so I find it a little disappointing that they came down hard on me, and they don’t always come down hard on everyone else. That was probably the most frustrating part.”