'All lives are equal': Michael Holding fumes at ICC over Usman Khawaja fiasco

Former West Indies fast bowling legend Michael Holding Sunday slammed the International Cricket Council (ICC) for charging Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja in connection with a black armband that he wore during the first Test against Pakistan.

Strongly reacting to the ICC’s stance, holding said that the cricket body once again showed its hypocrisy and lack of moral standing as an organisation.

Earlier today Khawaja was denied permission by the ICC to use a peace symbol on his bat and shoes during the Boxing Day match against Pakistan.

According to AFP, Khawaja was seen sporting a sticker on his bat and shoes showing a black dove and the words 01:UDHR — a reference to Article One of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — during a practice session ahead of Australia's second Test match with Pakistan slated to take place on December 26 (Tuesday) in Melbourne.

In an interview with The Weekend Australian, Holding remarked: “I have been following the Khawaja fiasco and I cannot say I’m surprised by the ICC’s stance."

“If it had been most other organisations that showed some semblance of consistency with their attitude and behaviour on issues I could claim surprise, but not them. Once again, they show their hypocrisy and lack of moral standing as an organisation.”

There was controversy when Khawaja was stopped from wearing shoes displaying the messages 'All lives are equal' and 'Freedom is a human right' during the Test match in Perth. This was due to concerns that it would violate the ICC's clothing and equipment rules.

The regulations state that players cannot display messages of political, religious or racial causes while playing in ICC matches. Khawaja taped the message on his shoes during the match and instead wore a black armband, which was interpreted as a show of support for the civilians in Gaza during the ongoing conflict. Khawaja later clarified the armband was for a “personal bereavement”.

However, Khawaja was subsequently charged by the ICC for wearing the armband. A spokesperson for the board said: “Usman displayed a personal message (armband) during the first Test match against Pakistan without seeking the prior approval of Cricket Australia and the ICC to display it, as required in the regulations for personal messages.”

Holding also criticised the ICC's regulations for their discrepancies, highlighting that players were permitted to demonstrate support for the Black Lives Matter movement by taking a knee before matches. In the 2020 Test series between West Indies and England, visiting players wore shirts featuring 'Black Lives Matter' and a raised fist design on the collar.

“The ICC regulations say re messaging ‘approval shall not be granted for messages which relate to political, religious or racial activities or causes’,” said Holding. “So how the f*** people were allowed to take the knee for BLM and stumps were covered with LGBTQ colours?”

Speaking on Friday ahead of the second Test of the series in Sydney, Khawaja also questioned whether the ICC were enforcing their regulations consistently.

“They asked me on day two [in Perth] what it [the armband] was for and told them it was for a personal bereavement,” said Khawaja. “I never ever stated it was for anything else. The shoes were a different matter, I’m happy to say that. The armband makes no sense to me. I followed all the regulations, past precedents, guys that put stickers on their bats, names on their shoes, done all sorts of things in the past without ICC approval and never been reprimanded.

“I respect the ICC and the rules and regulations they have. I will be asking them and contesting whether they make it fair and equitable for everyone and they have consistency in how they officiate. That consistency hasn’t been done yet. I was very open and honest with that. I’ll deal with that with the ICC.”