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[Saba Sports News] On the fourth day of the first Test at Perth’s Optus Stadium, spectators were asked to leave for displaying pro-Palestine banners, mirroring messages Usman Khawaja had on his shoes: “Freedom is a human right” and “All Lives Are Equal.”
The International Cricket Council (ICC) disallowed Khawaja’s shoes due to a strict ban on political, religious, or racial messaging in matches. Despite this, Khawaja covered the slogans with semi-transparent tape, subtly presenting his humanitarian views in the first Test. Additionally, he wore a black armband to show support for those impacted by the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Optus Stadium clarified that a sign was removed for violating Cricket Australia’s entry rules, and some spectators were expelled for unruly behavior, not for the sign.
“A sign was removed because it contravened Cricket Australia’s terms and conditions of entry. Some patrons were removed because of antisocial behaviour, not because of the sign,” Optus Stadium said in a statement.
Cricket Australia had earlier disapproved of Khawaja’s stance on Gaza, but he remained resolute, motivated by the plight of children in Gaza, empathizing as a father himself.
“This is close to my heart. When I see thousands of innocent children dying without any repercussions or remorse, I imagine my two girls. What if this was them? No one chooses where they’re born,” Khawaja said on social media.
In the Test series, Australia took a 1-0 lead against Pakistan with a 360-run victory. After opting to bat first, Australia scored 487 runs, aided by David Warner’s 164. Pakistan’s Aamer Jamal took six wickets on debut. Australia then bowled Pakistan out for 271 and 89 in their two innings, with Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood taking key wickets.