Usman Khawaja refuses interview with Craig Hutchison's SEN following decision to sack journalist Peter Lalor over Gaza comments

Usman Khawaja has refused to do an interview with Australian radio station SEN, after the cricket broadcaster's decision to sack expert Peter Lalor earlier this year.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports anonymous sources who spoke to the publication's journalist on the ground, Tom Decent, confirmed the reasoning for shunning the scheduled interview.

Khawaja, who made 47 runs on day one of the Test with the West Indies, was slated to speak to SEN's Adam Collins and Bharat Sundaresan, but told the pair he would not conduct the interview.

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Wide World of Sports contacted SEN who declined to comment on the situation.

Khawaja was taken over to the commentators by media manager Cole Hitchcock where he was slated to do the interview, but refused once he saw the SEN microphone.

According to Wide World of Sports sources, Khawaja was not rude or forceful, but ultimately told Hitchcock he would not do the interview once he became aware who it was with.

SEN made the decision to suddenly sack Lalor halfway through the Australian cricket team's tour of Sri Lanka in February, citing his social media posts commenting on the devolving situation in Gaza as the reason.

Station boss Craig Hutchison, who is in the West Indies alongside their commentators hosting clients, informed Lalor on the final day of the Galle test that he would no longer be required.

Collins and Sundaresan at the time were frustrated with the decision.

Khawaja spoke out in support of Lalor after the news broke.

"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 posted on Instagram in February.

"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."

At the time, Lalor released a lengthy statement regarding his dismissal.

"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," Lalor said.

"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 any more."