Prominent Australian cricket journalist Peter Lalor has been sacked from covering the Sri Lanka tour mid-series, prompting opening batter Usman Khawaja to come out in support of the veteran scribe.
Lalor was on the ground in Sri Lanka working for SEN radio and covered the first Test in Galle.
But on Monday night he revealed he has been axed from the job after station management took exception to his social media activity.
Lalor's X feed is active in sharing material related to the Gaza war.
"I was told in one call there were serious organisations making complaints; in another I was told that this was not the case," Lalor wrote in his statement.
Cricket journalist Peter Lalor. Twitter
"Perhaps I misunderstood. I was told there were accusations I was antisemitic which I strongly objected to. I was told my retweeting was not balanced, and insensitive to one side and that many people had complained.
"I was asked by station boss Craig Hutchison, who was civil, if I didn't care that my retweeting of events in Gaza made Jewish people in Melbourne feel unsafe. I said I didn't want anyone to feel unsafe. Of course, I care. I have friends who are frightened and have heard the fear in their voices during conversations. It is an awful situation. But so is Gaza. It was a brief and cordial call.
"The following day Hutchison told me that because the 'sound of my voice made people feel unsafe' and that people are 'triggered by my voice', I could not cover the cricket for them anymore."
Lalor was the longtime chief cricket writer for News Corp publication The Australian until recently.
He continues to cover cricket for his Cricket Et Al podcast, appears on Seven and the ABC, and until Monday also worked for SEN.
SEN boss Craig Hutchison released his own statement on Monday night confirming what Lalor had said.
"We've been in dialogue through the back half of the Test about some of the commentary on Peter's private social media feed. Peter and I have a different view of the impact of that in the Australian community," Hutchison said in a statement to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
"SEN Cricket is a celebration of differences and nationalities and a place where our SEN audience can escape what is an increasingly complex and sometimes triggering world.
"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."
The news on Monday prompted veteran Australian batter Khawaja to throw his support behind Lalor and defend his social media activity.
Usman Khawaja fired up. Instagram
Khawaja wrote "unbelievable" over a screenshot of the Lalor article, before writing a longer message on a following post.
"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 on Instagram.
"It has everything to do with justice and human rights.
"Unfortunately hatred towards the Jewish and Muslim community will always exist.
"Pete is a good guy with a good heart. He deserves better."
The second Test in Sri Lanka begins on Thursday.
