BBL 2024: Usman Khawaja displays dove and olive branch symbol on his bat and shoes

Star Australia batter Usman Khawaja has displayed the dove and olive branch symbol on his shoes and bat during the match against Perth Scorchers in Brisbane in the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL). The southpaw tried to display the same message during the Test series against Pakistan but the International Cricket Council (ICC) intervened and asked the cricketer to take it down. Following this, he had multiple meetings with Cricket Australia and the ICC officials but he wasn’t allowed to do so.

Meanwhile, Usman Khawaja has been very vocal about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. He wanted to raise awareness regarding the matter but ICC never gave the green light. Later, the 37-year-old decided to wear a black armband on the opening day of the Boxing Day Test at MCG to mark his protest but Khawaja said it had been for a personal bereavement.

Notably, the logo on Khawaja’s shoes and bat is a reflection of article one of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which reads: ‘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.”

Neser’s brilliance helped Heat beat Scorchers

Batting first at The Gabba in the ongoing 13th edition of the BBL, Brisbane were in a bit of a bother as skipper Khawaja departed for 14 runs while his opening partner Colin Munro got out for two runs. Marnus Labuschagne took control of the situation and scored 45 runs but Heat needed something extraordinary towards the fag end. Michael Neser stepped up and hit 64* runs off 30 deliveries, which helped the hosts post 191 runs on the board.

When it came to the chase, the Scorchers failed to get going. Josh Inglis and Laurie Evans tried to build a partnership but soon after they got out, wickets fell like a house of cards. They eventually went on to lose by 23 runs and with that, they remain second on the points table while Brisbane Heat strengthened their place at the helm of the points table.