‘How the f*** people were allowed to take a knee’ - Michael Holding lambasts ICC over Usman Khawaja saga

Star Australia opener Usman Khawaja was denied to wear shoes with a message ‘All Lives are Equal’ in the first Test against Pakistan in Perth. Later, the 37-year-old decided to wear a black armband to pay tribute to thousands of Palestinian children who lost their lives during their ongoing war against Israel. However, the International Cricket Council (ICC) raised objection, following which the cricketer addressed the media twice, explaining the situation.

Meanwhile, legendary cricketer Michael Holding lashed out at ICC for their ‘hypocrisy and lack of moral standing’. He pointed out that the governing council allowed the players to take a stand against racism during the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement but is not allowing Khawaja to take a stand, which only shows their "hypocrisy". However, Holding stated he is not surprised to see this.

“I have been following the Khawaja fiasco and I cannot say I'm surprised by the ICC's stance. Once again, they show their hypocrisy and lack of moral standing as an organisation,” Holding told The Weekend Australian.

“The ICC regulations say re messaging 'approval shall not be granted for messages which relate to political, religious or racial activities or causes'. So how the f*** people were allowed to take the knee for BLM and stumps were covered with LGBTQ colours?” he questioned.

As things stand, Khawaja has been denied to place a peace symbol on his bat and shoes during the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan in Melbourne. Skipper Pat Cummins also expressed his shock following the decision. Notably, the cricketer was training with a sticker of black dove on his bat, with the words 01:UDHR (a reference to Article One of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights) inscribed in it.

He also had multiple meetings with Cricket Australia (CA) and ICC to find a solution and a message that he can deliver through cricket, but the two parties have not come to a conclusion.