'Ex-Pak refugee' Ahmed exempted from wearing alcohol-branded shirt on 'religious grounds'

Former Pakistani refugee Fawad Ahmed has reportedly been allowed to wear an unbranded shirt by Cricket Australia (CA) as he does not associate with alcohol on 'religious grounds'.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Ahmed, one of two Australian Muslims to play on the 'VB Tour of England', was picked for the five-game limited overs series against England after he made his debut in the Twenty20 series last week.

However, the spin bowler, who sought asylum in Australia in 2010 and gained citizenship in July this year, had reportedly 'expressed discomfort' about wearing the logo of one of CA's two major sponsors because he does not want to be linked to alcohol on religious grounds.

Stating that all the parties involved were 'respectful' of Ahmed's personal beliefs, CA's executive general manager operations Mike McKenna said that they have agreed to his request to wear an unbranded shirt.

Australian Cricketers' Association chief executive Paul Marsh said that CA would have weighed up this matter seriously and would have thought about the precedent it could set, adding that if a player has reasonable personal or professional objection then they would allow the player to be exempt.

The report however, said that there are no provisions in cricketers' contracts for objections to sponsors' logos.

Meanwhile, the report added that Newcastle United footballer Papiss Cisse recently refused on religious grounds to wear his Newcastle team shirt featuring a sponsor who offers short-term loans, while South African cricketer Hashim Amla, also a Muslim, was exempted from wearing a beer brand logo on his shirt.