Former Australian cricketer Michael Hussey, sometimes known as Mr. Cricket, said he was very proud of Usman Khawaja for sticking up for his convictions on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. Notably, the International Cricket Council (ICC) refused to grant the great opener permission to wear boots with the phrase “All Lives are Equal” engraved on them for the first Test match against Pakistan. He later attempted to meet with Cricket Australia and the ICC multiple times, but nothing came of it.
In the meantime, the cricket player used a picture of a dove and a reference to Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on one of his pads and bats during the practice session before the Boxing Day Test, but the ICC once again asked him to remove it.
Regarding the same, Michael Hussey stated that he appreciated Khawaja’s stance and that the 37-year-old wasn’t scared to confront issues that he firmly believed in.
“I believe that Uzzy’s true self is emerging; this is who he really is.” He has strong convictions, values, and beliefs, and he doesn’t hesitate to speak them out. Actually, I’m pretty proud of him. He’s not attempting to be political, divisive, or anything of the sort, in my opinion. I admire his actions. According to a report on Hussey from stuff.co.nz, “He’s got to follow the rules set by the ICC, but he certainly is sticking true to what he believes in.”
We have made it quite obvious that we back Uzzy. Nick Hockley
In the meantime, Khawaja has received backing from Cricket Australia, which is working to resolve the conflict. Although nothing has materialized thus far, Chief Executive Nick Hockley stated that they are constructively working with the cricket player to reach a conclusion.
“We’ve been working really constructively with Uz over the last week or so, really trying to find a manner that is, once again, nonpartisan. Everyone is familiar with the dove as a symbol of peace. Having said that, we respect the ICC’s regulations and believe they have provided a very clear justification. We’ve made it very clear that we back Uzzy and all of our players in their efforts to express their opinions via their own channels, according to Hockley.
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