The request of Khawaja was denied because of the gesture’s reference to the ‘middle-east’ in addition to the universal declaration of human rights.
The batsman of the Australian cricket team, Usman Khawaja, was denied permission by the International Cricket Council to wear a dove on his shoe and bat in the Boxing Day Test. Now, sources in the ICC have revealed the cause of the rejection. According to the source, Khawaja’s request was denied because of the gesture’s reference to the ‘middle-east’ in addition to the universal declaration of human rights.
According to the statement, three sources with knowledge of the negotiations who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to ICC regulatory matters rejected Khawaja’s application on the grounds that it was still too politically, religiously, or racially motivated, as per the relevant provision of the governing body’s clothing regulations, due to a reference to “the Middle East.”.
A source close to the discussions described the ICC’s decision not to sanction Khawaja’s dove as an “own goal” due to the large number of personal religious statements worn by players around the world.
