Australia's Usman Khawaja has been denied permission to place a peace symbol on his bat and shoes for the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan, reports said Sunday.
A sticker showing a black dove and the words 01:UDHR -- a reference to Article One of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights -- was on his bat and shoes during training in Melbourne on Sunday. The logo is a reference to article one of the Universal declaration of Human Rights which 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."
Khawaja, a Muslim, was stopped from wearing shoes emblazoned with the hand-written slogans "Freedom is a human right" and "All lives are equal" during the first Test in Perth.
The 36-year-old had wanted to show his support for the people of Gaza. But he was told they flouted ICC rules on messages that relate to politics, religion or race.
Khawaja had checked with Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers' Association before displaying the logo on his gear and was granted approval but his application to the ICC to display the logos during the Test match was denied.
"The ICC, after giving due consideration to Usman Khawaja's request for a personal message logo on his bat for the remainder of the Test series against Pakistan, did not approve the application," an ICC spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo. "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."
He wore a black armband during the match and was reprimanded by the ICC, but insisted afterwards it was for a "personal bereavement" and vowed to contest the ruling.
Khawaja spoke on Friday about how the Israel-Hamas conflict had affected him, saying he despaired at seeing how many children had been killed.
"When I'm looking at my Instagram and seeing innocent kids, videos of them dying, passing away, that's what hit me the hardest," he said.
"I don't have any agendas other than trying to shine a light on what I feel really passionately, really strongly about."