Australia captain Pat Cummins threw his support behind star opener Usman Khawaja Monday, saying his bid to bring attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was "not offensive".
Khawaja has been denied permission by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to have a sticker showing a black dove holding an olive branch on his bat and shoes during the second Test against Pakistan.
Australia captain Pat Cummins says there is no difference between Usman Khawaja displaying a dove logo on his shoe and bat to raise awareness of humanitarian issues and teammate Marnus Labuschagne displaying an eagle on his bat which signifies a personal religious message, after the ICC denied Khawaja's application to display the logo during the Boxing Day Test.
Khawaja made an application to the ICC to display a small dove holding an olive branch on his shoe and bat during the Test match which is a reference to article one of the Universal declaration of Human Rights that reads, "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."
But despite being cleared by Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association to display it, the ICC denied his application with an ICC spokesperson stating that, "Personal messages of this nature are not allowed as per Clause F of the Clothing and Equipment Regulations, which can be found on the ICC Playing Conditions page. The ICC is supportive of players using their platforms outside of the playing arena to promote human rights, peace and equality and would encourage him to continue to use alternative platforms."
Labuschagne displays the symbol of an eagle on the back of his bats which represents a verse from the bible and has long been allowed to have the sticker on his bat in international cricket. Almost every player in the Australian team, including Khawaja, also have multiple advertising stickers on their bats that represent different companies including their bat/equipment sponsor and a secondary personal sponsor, which are allowed under ICC rules.
Speaking on Christmas Day, 24 hours out from the start of the second Test against Pakistan at the MCG, Cummins said he saw no difference between Labuschagne displaying a religious reference and Khawaja's attempt to display a logo referring to the Universal declaration of Human Rights.