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- Poll: Who prevails in this series?
- Welcome one, welcome all
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Poll: Who prevails in this series?
Khawaja will push to wear Palestine solidarity shoes at MCG
Perth: Usman Khawaja may yet wear shoes emblazoned with slogans referring to the plight of Palestinians caught in the fighting in Gaza on Boxing Day at the MCG, under an International Cricket Council process that allows players to gain approval for personal messages on the field.
While Khawaja backed down from wearing the shoes on day one of the series in Perth after speaking with Cricket Australia’s chief executive Nick Hockley, among others, four senior cricket sources – who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the talks are ongoing – confirmed to this masthead that he has an avenue open to formally request the right to wear them in future matches.
Usman Khawaja wearing “All lives are equal” on his shoes during an Australian nets session at the WACA on Tuesday.Credit: Getty Images
“The ICC have told me I can’t wear my shoes on field because they believe its a political statement under their guidelines,” Khawaja said on Instagram on Wednesday. “I don’t believe it is so, it’s a humanitarian appeal. I will respect their view and decision, but I will fight it and seek to gain approval. Freedom is a human right, and all lives are equal. I will never stop believing that, whether you agree with me or not.”
Khawaja also spoke of the fierce reaction his stance had generated.
“I notice what I’ve written on my shoes has caused a little bit of a stir,” Khawaja said. “What I do want is for anyone who did get offended somehow, is to ask yourself these questions: Is freedom not for everyone? Are all lives not equal? To me, personally, it doesn’t matter what race, religion, or culture you are.
Read the full story here.
Taylor: Why Green should be pushed as Warner’s replacement
Of all the discussions around David Warner’s last Test series, the most significant question is who will replace him at the top of the order when he retires?
I read with interest Greg Chappell’s suggestion in these pages recently that Mitch Marsh should be promoted to open the batting as an attacking option because that’s what Australia will miss the most. It’s not only David’s average of 44 over a long career that has made him a great player, it’s his strike rate of 70.
For that reason, I believe that Cameron Green should be given the same consideration to open the batting. He’s better technically equipped than Mitch Marsh, is an excellent young player on the rise, would give Australia a left-right combination with Usman Khawaja at the top of the order, and is a wonderful slip and gully fieldsman.
Australia will not only miss Warner’s batting but also his catching in the slips, which is a vital and often underrated part of the game. That is part of the reason why Green would be so valuable.
Read Mark Taylor’s full column here.
Pakistan’s squad
How the Test summer shapes up
The weather in Perth today
Welcome one, welcome all
Greetings sports fans,
It’s stinking hot, Woolies has had Christmas paraphernalia on sale for months and there’s just one thing missing from your summer. Cricket. Thankfully, we’re in business in around 80 minutes with the first Test kicking off in Perth.
We’ve had Mitchell Johnson sledging anyone and everyone and a kerfuffle over Usman Khawaja’s right to write on his shoes, so it’s about time for Pakistan and the hosts to do their thing – Malcolm Conn and Daniel Brettig are on the ground in WA and standing by, we’ll have the toss and final confirmed teams shortly.
I’ll be here in the Maroubra bureau with you all afternoon and evening, giddy up.
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