Really, the International Cricket Council could not have done Usman Khawaja more of a favour. Had Australia’s opener been allowed to take the field for the Perth Test wearing shoes with two blandly general phrases about human rights written in pen on the sidewall, a few photos would have been published and that would have been that.
Instead, they banned the move, as well as his subsequent request to adorn his bat with the peace symbol of a dove holding an olive branch. Which has meant that the story has stayed in the news ever since among millions of views for Khawaja’s social media posts on the matter. His aim to publicly protest the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
