AUS vs PAK | 'We really support Uzzy': Captain Pat Cummins backs Usman Khawaja to use Dove logo for Palestinians in Gaza

Melbourne: Australian skipper Pat Cummins on Monday backed his teammate Usman Khawaja, who is fighting a different battle to display his support in a cricket match for Palestinians in Gaza, saying the left-hander’s attempt to bring to the fore the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was "not offensive".

In a recent development, International Cricket Council (ICC) has rejected Khawaja’s appeal to have a sticker showing a black dove holding an olive branch on his bat and shoes during the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan.

Cummins said he finds no difference between Khawaja displaying a dove logo on his shoe and bat to raise awareness of humanitarian issues and teammate Marnus Labuschagne displaying an eagle on his bat which signifies a personal religious message.

"We really support Uzzy (Usman Khawaja). He's standing up for what he believes and I think he's done it really respectfully," Cummins told reporters on the eve of the second Test at the Melbour Cricket Ground (MCG). "As I said last week, 'All lives are equal', I don't think that's very offensive and I'd say the same about the dove."

In backing 37-year-old, Cummins added, "That's Uzzy (Usman Khawaja). I think he can really hold his head high with the way he's gone about it. But obviously there's rules in place and 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."

This happened after Usman Khawaja decided to challenge the ICC’s decision to charge him for breaching the regulations after wearing a black armband during the first Test against Pakistan in Perth.

Earlier, Khawaja was barred from wearing "Freedom is a human right" and "All lives are equal" shoes in the colours of the Palestinian flag (Red, Green, Black) during the match at the Optus Stadium.

Marnus Labuschagne showcases the symbol of an eagle on the back of his bats which represents a verse from the bible and has long been allowed to have the sticker on his bat in international cricket. Last week, Usman Khawaja spoke about the impact that the Israel-Hamas conflict had on him.

"When I'm looking at my Instagram and seeing innocent kids, videos of them dying, passing away, that's what hit me the hardest," he said. "I don't have any agendas other than trying to shine a light on what I feel really passionately, really strongly about," Khawaja said in press conference on Saturday.

"I don't have any agendas other than trying to shine a light on what I feel really passionately, really strong about. I'm trying to do it in the most respectful way possible. What I wrote on my shoes was, really I thought about it for a while, what I was going to write. I made sure that I didn't want to segregate different parts of the population, religious beliefs, communities," he added.

"Hence, I kept religion out of this. I want to be really broad in my speaking because I'm talking about humanitarian issues. I'm talking about article one of the Unified Declaration of Human Rights. That is literally the crux of it," Khawaja added.