Cricket Australia supports its players' right to "express personal opinions"!

Australian Cricket player, Usman Khawaja has made the hard decision to not wear the human rights text on his shoes for the first Test match against Pakistan. A discussion has been generated on how to negotiate a difficult balance between the ICC rules and regulations on displaying personal beliefs on sports equipment and freedom of speech.

Where Does Cricket Australia Stand?

Stressing the importance of following the ICC rules and regulations that does not allow personal statements to be shown of sports equipment and clothing. Cricket Australia has shown support to Khawaja’s right to show support for the people of Gaza. The statement that cricketing body has acknowledged the players personal beliefs with supporting spirits, while also understanding the maintaining of laws of ICC.

"Freedom is a human right" and "All lives are equal"

In a training session, Khawaja was spotted wearing boots with the words “Freedom is a human right” and “All lives are equal”. This showcased his solidarity with the people of Gaza. The words that Khawaja chose speak to global concepts of equality and freedom. Captain Pat Cummins praised Khawaja's position and pointed out that the texts were non divisive. Cummins claimed that the statements on the boots were inclusive and unlikely to cause a lot of backlash, despite the issue.

Comparison with 'Black Lives Matter' Movement

From the start, The ICC has disallowed political speech and has mostly stayed out of politics in that sense. However, it still granted the Black Lives Matter movement. Players were allowed to take the knee in 2020 and 2021 before matches. The ICC’s stance for allowing other political speeches but not this has people doubting the difference in treatment.

ICC Code of Conduct and Historical Precedents

This is not a new stance; a similar incident happened in 2014 when England batsman Moeen Ali was not allowed to wear wristbands with the words "Free Palestine" and "Save Gaza." The ICC has always been against cricket being a platform for political messages, and this is clear from its history. The rules about showing messages on cricket clothing and gear are clearly stated in the ICC Code of Conduct. It is not allowed to express political, religious, or racially sensitive topics.