Australia Test captain Pat Cummins has backed opener Usman Khawaja's stance over sporting the dove logo, which serves as a humanitarian message, ahead of the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan at the MCG.
Reports came in the Australian media that the International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected Khawaja’s request to put a dove sticker on his bat and shoes during the match, something which he sported during Sunday’s practice session.
The logo was accompanied by a reference to article one of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”
Khawaja was cleared to sport the logo by Cricket Australia and Australian Cricketers Association, but it was rejected by ICC, citing that the logo would lead to a breach a clause in the "Clothing and Equipment Regulations" in its Playing Conditions.
On the other hand, Australia top-order batter Marnus Labuschagne sports an eagle logo with a Bible verse, Isaiah 40:31, which states: “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Asked if he saw any difference in the logos by Labuschagne and Khawaja, Cummins said to reporters on pre-match day, "Not really, no - I don't know the ins and outs of the application, but I think it is pretty vanilla, a dove. We really support Uzzy, I think he's standing up for what he believes and I think he's doing it really respectfully."
Khawaja had previously been stopped from wearing slogans “All lives are equal” and “Freedom is a human right” on his shoes during Australia’s first Test against Pakistan at Perth, in an attempt to raise awareness about the Gaza humanitarian crisis. He did wear a black armband during the match, but was reprimanded by the ICC for doing so.
"All lives are equal, and I don't think that's very offensive, and I'd say the same about the dove. That's Uzzy. He can hold his head high the way he's gone about it, but there's rules in place, so I believe the ICC have said they're not going to approve that. They make up the rules and you've got to accept it."
"I've spoken to Uzzy a fair bit. I won't go into too (much into its) depth, but it's really similar to what he's said publicly. He just sees all lives as equal. He sees the war there as a waste, and there's a lot of loss that he's trying to shine a light on that he thinks isn't necessary. We support him," added Cummins.
The right-arm fast-bowler also spoke about creating an environment in the Australian team where players stick to their beliefs. "That's the environment we try to create. Everyone is at their best when they're bringing their own self to any group. We're talking about people here, not just talking about guys who hit a cricket ball or bowl a cricket ball, they're real people."
"When you're happy off the field you tend to play better and play with more freedom and clarity on the field, and I think the best way to get that is to bring your own individual self 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 things they're passionate about within the team," concluded Cummins.