Australia's Usman Khawaja has received a reprimand from cricket’s governing body for his armband protest during the first Test against Pakistan.
The opening batter sported a black armband during Australia’s 360-run victory in Perth, following the ICC's decision to ban his planned shoe protest before the Test commenced.
Last week, Khawaja criticised the ICC for censoring him and reiterated his commitment to advocating support for civilians in Gaza. He had handwritten messages, "Freedom is a human right" and "All lives are equal," on his footwear.
The ICC cautioned Khawaja, stating potential sanctions if he wore those shoes during the match. The governing body has strict rules against displaying personal messages related to politics, religion, or race.
Despite covering the messages on his shoes with tape, Khawaja entered the field on the Test's opening day wearing a black armband on his left arm.
Reporters noted a past incident where players were found breaching ICC rules by wearing unapproved black armbands, which has now happened to Khawaja. He received a reprimand for his initial breach of the rule.
According to ICC regulations, players must seek permission from both their home cricket board and the ICC before wearing armbands, or else risk violating ICC guidelines.
“Usman Khawaja has been charged for breaching Clause F of the Clothing and Equipment Regulations, which can be found on the ICC Playing Conditions page. The sanctions for a breach of the regulations are outlined in Appendix 2,” an ICC spokesperson said.
“Usman displayed a personal message (armband) during the 1st Test Match against Pakistan without seeking the prior approval of Cricket Australia and the ICC to display it, as required in the regulations for personal messages. This is a breach under the category of an “other breach” and the sanction for a first offence is a reprimand.”
It lays the groundwork for fireworks to ignite if Khawaja persists in wearing a black armband during the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.
Khawaja remarked it was unjust for the governing body to intervene and prevent him from conveying his message.
He highlighted discrepancies in the ICC’s rulings, citing instances where certain players were previously permitted to display personal messages about politics, religion, or race.
The ICC’s clothing and equipment regulations state that: “In determining whether a message is for a ‘political, religious or racial cause’, the starting point is that the ICC and its members acknowledge and agree that cricket should be used as a tool to bring people and communities around the world together and not as a platform to draw attention to potentially divisive political issues, rhetoric or agendas.
“Each case must be considered on its own facts and the ICC will take into account all relevant circumstances, including (as it sees fit): (a) the views of any other relevant team or individual; (b) the likely sentiment and response in the media to the message in all relevant countries; (c) whether the message is a ‘one-off’ or whether it is to be displayed for a longer period; (d) the purpose and impact of conveying the message,” the regulations continue.
“By way of example only, and without limitation, where the purpose of a message appears to be commemorative in nature (e.g. the use of a black armband or a poppy) or to serve a charitable purpose (e.g. to generate funds or awareness for a non-political charitable cause), it is more likely to be permitted; where a message appears to indicate support for a particular government, political party or individual, it is more likely to be prohibited. Where a request for approval is submitted to the ICC, the ICC shall be entitled to request such further information as it considers necessary before making its decision and to impose such conditions as it sees fit in providing its approval (as applicable).”