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Cricket Australia (CA) says scheduling the Twenty20 match on January 26 is an opportunity to continue an “ongoing educational journey” with the Indigenous community after all-rounder and Muruwari woman Ashleigh Gardner raised concerns about the match.
Key Points:
- Australia will play their second T20 game against Pakistan on January 26
- Taking to social media, Gardner said representing Australia that day “wasn’t right for him”
- CA said, the indigenous advisory committee approved the decision to play on January 26
Gardner was the second Indigenous woman to play Test cricket for Australia and said the day the First Fleet arrived in Australia in 1788 was a “day of insult and sorrow” for Indigenous Australians.
“Unfortunately this year the Australian women’s cricket team is scheduled to play on the 26th of January, which is certainly not convenient for me as an individual, but also for all my representatives,” he wrote on social media.
“For those who don’t have a good idea of what that day means, it was the beginning of genocide, massacres and extermination.”
Gardner tweeted her concerns, with Australian teammates Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Megan Schutt and Hannah Darlington voicing their support.
The Australian Cricketers’ Association also said: “We stand with you Ash and encourage others to use the day for reflection to gain a better understanding.”
Gardner said he uses his profile as a professional cricketer to educate others about the connotations of the day.
“My culture is something I hold close to my heart and am always so proud to talk about whenever I’m asked,” she wrote.
“When I go into this game, I’m sure I’ll be reflecting and thinking about all the lives of my ancestors and the people who have changed since this day.”
As part of its reconciliation plan, CA is negotiating with the Indigenous Advisory Committee, which approved the decision to play against Pakistan in Hobart on 26 January.
Recommendations from the same committee prompted the CA to stop calling January 26 “Australia Day” in 2021. The move drew both criticism and support.
As part of the decision to play on January 26, the Australian team will perform a pre-match smoking ceremony and go for a walk in the local kunanyi mountains to learn about the local community.
They are also using a special Indigenous pack designed by two Indigenous women and have consulted with Dr Janine Mohamed, a Narrunga Kaurna woman and community leader, to understand the impact of January 26 on the first Australians.
“Cricket Australia recognizes that January 26 is a day that has many meanings and evokes mixed feelings in communities across our richly diverse country,” CA’s statement said.
– We respectfully acknowledge that this day is challenging for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and for some people this day is considered a day of mourning.
“Cricket Australia understands and recognizes Ash’s position and values his leadership and the contribution of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to the game of cricket.
“We are using the T20 International on January 26 as an opportunity to continue our ongoing educational journey with First Nations people.”
The Australian women’s team last played on 26 January 2016 and the men’s team in 2019.
After sweeping the ODI series against Pakistan 3-0, Australia’s first of three T20s against them will be played at North Sydney Oval on Tuesday before Thursday’s game in Hobart and Sunday’s match in Canberra.
The team will then travel to South Africa for the T20 World Cup, which will begin on February 12.
AAP
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