MELBOURNE – Australia’s Cricket Captain Pat Cummins on Monday threw his weight behind batsman Usman Khawaja, saying that Khawaja’s efforts to spotlight the humanitarian crisis in Gaza were not intended to be provocative.
Pat Cummins expressed full support for Usman Khawaja, stating, “We fully support Usi (Usman Khawaja). He stands for something he believes in, and I think he’s done it with a lot of dignity.”
The Australian captain was talking to the reporters at the Melbourne Test venue.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) denied permission for Usman Khawaja to display a sticker on his bat and shoes during the second Test against Pakistan. The sticker featured a black-color dove holding an olive branch and the numbers ’01,’ symbolizing Article One of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
During a training session in Melbourne on Sunday, Khawaja’s bat and shoes prominently displayed the controversial sticker, reflecting his commitment to human rights causes.
It may be mentioned here that over 20,000 people including women and children have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza since Oct 7. The reports suggest that it is the most fierce and lethal war of the present century.
