Michael Holding calls out ICC over Usman Khawaja row
ICC charged Usman Khawaja for wearing black band during the first test match against Pakistan, while also prohibiting him from wearing shoes containing message for Palestine.
New Delhi: The ongoing test series between Australia and Pakistan is making headlines for all the reasons, except the on-field action of the series.
The biggest ongoing drama is the fiasco between Usman Khawaja and ICC, over the dress code conundrum.
Usman Khawaja, who follows Islam religion, has been outspoken about the Israel-Hamas war, and the conditions of the Palestinian citizens, as the effect of the war.
However, Khawaja wanted to carry his message about his take on the war on the field, but ICC has prohibited him from doing so.
The West Indian legend, Michael Holding, has called out ICC, over the Khawaja issue by calling them hypocrites.
Michael Holding has his say on the ICC & Usman Khawaja saga. pic.twitter.com/dqJjVoBhRo
— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) December 25, 2023
Holding stated that he is not at all surprised by ICC stand on the matter, as he said ICC lacks moral ethics and is pretty consistent with their hypocratic stand.
He also called out ICC for not allowing Khawaja to carry his message, but on the other hand, allowing players to take a knee for the “Black Life Matters” movement, and painting the stumps in support of the LGBTQ+ community, which is in its all form is also a political message.
Khawaja vs ICC
Khawaja wanted to wear shoes with a written message that all lives are equal but was unable to do so as ICC banned the shoes, citing the reason of ICC dress code violation, which prohibits players from displaying any political message through their match gear during a match.
Khawaja, despite not agreeing with ICC’s viewpoint, decided not to wear the shoes to avoid penalty, and instead chose to wear a black armband, with no written message, for which ICC still charged him for dress code violation.
Stay strong @KHWAJA we are with you #UsmanKhawaja #khawaja pic.twitter.com/hO18qyEtqX
— Asghar Ali (@AwanAsgharali) December 21, 2023
Interestingly, in a fresh take into the row, Khawaja was seen wearing a boot and suing a bat with a dove, which is marked as a symbol of peace, embarked on his shoes ahead of the Boxing Day Test, and as expected, once again Khawaja has been warned by ICC against wearing the shoes, sparking another row of controversy.
