Australia batter Usman Khawaja has been charged by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for his symbolic protest during Australia's Test match against Pakistan at the Optus Stadium in Perth. The left-handed batter had worn a black armband in the series opener which was a personal protest and had not been done after taking approval from Cricket Australia (CA) and ICC.

"Usman Khawaja has been charged for breaching Clause F of the Clothing and Equipment Regulations, which can be found on the ICC Playing Conditions page. The sanctions for a breach of the regulations are outlined in Appendix 2," an ICC spokesperson was quoted as saying in a Reuters report.

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"Usman displayed a personal message (arm band) during the 1st 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. This is a breach under the category of an “other breach” and the sanction for a first offence is a reprimand,” the statement added.

Khawaja did find himself in the middle of a tricky situation when he sported shoes with the slogan "Freedom is a human right" and "All lives are equal" during Australia's net session prior to the first of the three-match series. However, he was told that this would be a violation of the ICC rules after which he came up with wearing the black armbands.

It would be interesting to see if Khawaja continues to wear a black armband during the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). He has already given his point of view, saying that he considers it unfair that the governing body can stop him from delivering his message.

The 36-year-old who scored 41 and 90 in the first and the second innings respectively of the Peth Test stands in support for civilians in Gaza and has openly lashed out at the ICC for censoring his messages