"Sometimes you just gotta laugh" - Usman Khawaja taunts ICC for 'double standards,' highlights religious symbols on the bats of Maharaj & Pooran

Usman Khawaja indirectly accused the International Cricket Council (ICC) of 'double standards' on Monday for rejecting his appeal to portray a dove with an olive branch on his cricket gear. Khawaja wanted to showcase the dove in order to raise awareness about humanitarian issues.

He made a Christmas post on Instagram with the hashtags #inconsistent and #doublestandards. That included a snapshot of the ICC's rules against political and religious messages, followed by photos of Nicholas Pooran, Marnus Labuschagne and Keshav Maharaj with various religious symbols on their bats.

Pooran plays with a bat that has a Christian cross on it. Labuschagne displays the symbol of an eagle, which represents a verse from the Bible. Maharaj, meanwhile, has often batted with the Hindu symbol of 'OM' on his willow.

"Merry Christmas everybody 🎄🤣. Sometimes you just gotta laugh. Cya at Boxing Day! 🙏🏾 #inconsistent #doublestandards🤦🏻", Khawaja wrote in his Instagram post.

The dove with an olive branch is a popular symbol of peace in Western and Judeo-Christian culture. The Australian opener proposed to use it on his bat and shoes after being reprimanded by the ICC for sporting the slogans "all lives are equal" and "freedom is a human right" on his shoes during the first Test against Pakistan.

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"How the f*** people were allowed to take the knee for BLM" - Michael Holding slams ICC, supports Khawaja

Michael Holding, one of the few cricketing voices active during the Black Lives Matter movement, has accused the ICC of hypocrisy over the Khawaja issue. Holding asked why the orgnaisation allowed cricketers to take the knee in support of the BLM during the 2021 T20 World Cup if they wanted to reject Khawaja's messaging.

"I have been following the Khawaja fiasco and I cannot say I'm surprised by the ICC's stance," Holding told The Weekend Australian.

"If it had been most other organisations that showed some semblance of consistency with their attitude and behaviour on issues I could claim surprise, but not them. Once again, they show their hypocrisy and lack of moral standing as an organisation. 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.

Khawaja looked in good form and scored a 90 in the first Test against Pakistan. The two teams will now compete in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, starting Tuesday.