SYDNEY: Australian batsman Usman Khawaja has criticised a radio station’s decision to drop cricket journalist Peter Lalor from its coverage of the Sri Lanka Test series over his social media posts on the Gaza conflict.
Australian radio station SEN on Tuesday confirmed it had parted ways with Lalor, the former chief cricket writer of the Australian newspaper.
Lalor’s had been vocal on social media against Israeli attacks on Gaza and accusations of genocide levelled at the Israeli government.
Khawaja in a post on Instagram said that Lalor “deserved better”.
“Standing up for the people of Gaza is not antisemitic nor does it have anything to do with my Jewish brothers and sisters in Australia, but everything to do with the Israeli government and their deplorable actions,” Khawaja said.
“It has everything to do with justice and human rights. Unfortunately, hatred towards the Jewish and Muslim community will always exist.”
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Lalor said he was told by the station’s management that there were accusations he was antisemitic, to which he strongly objected.
“I was told my retweeting was not balanced and insensitive to one side and that many people had complained,” he said in a statement to subscribers on his Cricket et Al substack.
SEN station boss Craig Hutchison stated that he and Lalor held a different perspective on the commentary’s impact on his social media.
“We respect Pete as a journalist and long-time contributor to the game but also acknowledge the fear that many families in our community feel right now, and we also need to respect that,” Hutchison told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Australia is leading the two-match Test series 1-0 after beating Sri Lanka by an innings and 242 runs in the opener in Galle. The second test begins in Galle on Thursday.
