Pakistan tour of Australia, 2023-24
“We really support Ozzie (Al-Khawaja). I think he stands up for what he believes in, and I think he does it really respectfully,” Cummins said. © Getty
Referring to it as “pretty vanilla”, Pat Cummins once again backed Usman Khawaja’s latest attempt to spread his message of peace, wearing a dove with an olive branch on his shoe, an editorial which was later stopped during the Boxing Day quiz. Khawaja’s request to the ICC to wear the peace symbol, which he had while training at the MCG on Sunday (December 24), during the second Test against Pakistan, was rejected.
This was done on the basis that it was technically in breach of a clause in the ‘Clothing and Equipment Regulations’ in the ICC’s playing conditions. Cummins was asked if he saw any difference between the ‘dove’ symbol with the eagle and the Bible verse that Marnus Labuschagne has always stuck to the bottom of every bat he uses in international cricket and will do so on Boxing Day.
“Not really, no. I don’t know the ins and outs of the app, but I think it’s very nice, dove,” the Australian Test captain said.
“We really support Ozzie (Al-Khawaja). I think he stands up for what he believes in, and I think he does it really respectfully,” Cummins added.
The ICC’s rejection comes in the wake of Khawaja being banned from wearing the phrases “Freedom is a human right” and “All lives are equal” on his boots during the first Test in Perth. The 37-year-old was also reprimanded for wearing a black armband on day two at Perth last week. The dove and olive branch was reportedly his way of reaching a compromise while sticking to his beliefs and desire to continue spreading his message. Cummins believes Khawaja can “hold his head high” because of the way he has handled himself throughout it all.
“All lives are equal, and I don’t think that’s too insulting, and I would say the same about the dove. He’s Ozi. He can hold his head up high the way he does it, but there are rules in place, so I think the ICC said they wouldn’t agree “So, she makes the rules and you have to accept them.”
“I’ve talked to Uzzy a little bit. I won’t go into too much depth, but it’s really similar to what he’s said publicly. He sees all lives as equal. He sees the war out there as a waste,” Cummins said on a rainy Christmas morning as the Pakistani players and coaching staff arrived. Bringing gifts to their hosts and families, “there’s a lot of loss that he’s trying to highlight that he thinks isn’t necessary. “We support him.”
Since taking over as Test captain two summers ago, the one message that Cummins has stuck to most has been the need for every player in the dressing room to be themselves and stick to their beliefs. To be “real people,” as he put it. He insisted that the way Khawaja had behaved over the past 10 days was completely consistent with that.
“This is the environment we try to create. Everyone is at their best when they introduce themselves to any group. We’re talking about people here, we’re not just talking about people batting a cricket ball or throwing a cricket ball. They’re real people,” Cummins said.
“When you are happy off the pitch, you tend to play better and play with more freedom and clarity on the pitch, and I think the best way to achieve that is to bring your individuality to the group and we try to encourage that.” . It’s great that people like Uzzy feel like they can be themselves and stand up for the things they love within the team.”
© com. cricbuzz
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