Australia opener Usman Khawaja forced to remove dove logo from his bat during 1st Test vs New Zealand

The First Test between New Zealand and Australia at the Basin Reserve in Wellington is slightly in control of the visitors. The first innings was very much in control of Australia after they managed to put up a fighting total of 383, thanks to a brilliant century from Cameron Green. The Aussies came back well and got them all out for 179 making sure they got a great lead at the end. It is safe to say that the Baggy Greens were in control on the first two days of the Test match.

The second half of the game, however, ended on an interesting note. The Kiwi bowlers returned with the ball and got the Australian batters all out for just 164. The target of 369 runs looks unlikely to be chased down for the black caps, but they are still giving the fight to their Tasmanian rivals. New Zealand still have 7 wickets in hand and is at least looking good enough to draw the game. The Aussies will have more of a chance in the game, but we surely can’t keep the home team out of it completely.

Khawaja controversy continues

Australia opener Usman Khawaja has already had a bit of a sub-par game. The last thing the 37-year-old southpaw will ever want is some controversy. It first started during the boxing day Test vs Pakistan where Khawaja was seen with a dove sticker which was the symbol of the Gazza crisis. The opener was once again seen with the same symbol on his bat when he was asking to change it. Khawaja was straightway told to remove it by the officials once again.

There is no problem with your beliefs, but there might be a time and place to do it. A cricket match which is seen by some young fans as well is not the perfect place to do it. The dove sticker has caused a lot of problems for Khawaja before and maybe he should be careful with showcasing his support to the Palestinians in one of the biggest controversies and tragic events in the world. Khawaja is one of the best openers for Australia right now and we would not want his career to be in jeopardy due to this issue.