Australia's Usman Khawaja staged a muted protest against the war in Gaza on Thursday, wearing a black armband during the AUS vs PAK 1st Test on Thursday and taping up messages on his shoes.

The opening batsman had wanted to wear shoes emblazoned with the hand-written slogans "Freedom is a human right" and "All lives are equal" during the match at Perth. But Pakistan-born Khawaja, who is Muslim, was told that it flouted International Cricket Council rules on messages that relate to politics, religion or race.