In the opening Test match against Pakistan at the Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia's opening batter Usman Khawaja, after being instructed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) not to display the "All Lives Are Equal" message on his shoes, instead wore a black armband as a gesture of solidarity for those affected by the Israel-Hamas conflict. Captain Pat Cummins won the toss and chose to bat, with Khawaja stepping onto the field sporting the armband.
Khawaja's decision to wear the black armband was a clear expression of support for the people impacted by the Israel-Palestine conflict, after his initial plan to showcase the message on his shoes was disallowed by the ICC. Despite this, he covered the message on his shoes with tape and proceeded to wear them.
His stance was clarified through a video message on Instagram where he emphasised the importance of equality and human rights, stating, "All Lives are Equal. Freedom is a Human right. I'm raising my voice for human rights."
What I have written on my shoes is not political. I am not taking sides. Human life to me is equal. One Jewish life is equal to one Muslim life is equal to one Hindu life and so on. I am just speaking up for those who do not have a voice," Khawaja told Channel 7.
“All Lives are Equal. Freedom is a Human right. I'm raising my voice for human rights. For a humanitarian appeal. If you see it any other way. That's on you...," Khawaja captioned a video message on Instagram.
Prior to the match, Cricket Australia issued a statement affirming their players' rights to express personal opinions while acknowledging the ICC's regulations against displaying personal messages during games. “We support the right of our players to express personal opinions. But the ICC has rules in place which prohibit the display of personal messages which we expect the players to uphold,” stated Cricket Australia.
Skipper Pat Cummins mentioned that he had spoken to Khawaja, who confirmed that he wouldn't display the statements on his shoes during the match. However, Cummins also voiced his support for Khawaja's message of equality, stating, "I spoke to him just quickly and [Khawaja] said he wouldn't be [wearing the statements]"
As the first test match of the series between Australia and Pakistan progresses, Australia hold a commanding position on Day 1 at 230-2 after 55 overs. David Warner's achievement of securing his 26th test century comes amid ongoing criticism regarding his continued participation despite recent struggles in test cricket.