sport news Indigenous Cricket Australia advisor wants Australia Day match despite Ash ... trends now
A member of Cricket Australia's Indigenous advisory committee insists a match should be played on Australia Day, despite criticism from star all-rounder Ash Gardner who said having to play on January 26 'didn't sit well with her'.
As the Aussie women's side prepares to play on the national holiday and the country plunges into yet another fierce debate about whether January 26 should be celebrated, Indigenous advocate Justin Mohamed has had his say.
The Gooreng Gooreng man, who has had a distinguished career in reconcilitation and Aboriginal justice, is a member of Cricket Australia's Indigenous Advisory Committee (NATSICAC).
After Gardner slammed January 26 - the date the First Fleet arrived in Sydney - as a day celebrating 'genocide, massacres and dispossession' on Sunday, Mohamed voiced a different view.
Indigenous cricket star Ash Gardner recently posted a defiant message that she did not want to have to play on Australia Day, given it celebrates 'genocide, massacres and dispossession'
While he praised Sydney Sixers sensation Gardner for the courage it showed to post the divisive statement on social media, Mohamed believes in a different approach.
'At the moment the debate is about celebrating Australia Day on the 26th, should it happen? Should it not happen? Should the date be changed to have a date that's more inclusive? But the 26th will still be a very important date in the history of Australia and what happened that day,' he told The Australian.
'As an Aboriginal, I wouldn't want to lose the significance of what the 26th is and what it played in the history of Australia.
'A sporting event or on an event like an international game could provide a platform to provide the education, the true history of what happened and so people don't forget the significance of the day,' said Mohamed, who stressed he was not speaking for the rest of the NATSICAC members.
A member of Cricket Australia's Indigenous advisory committee, Justin Mohamed, believes games should be played on Australia Day, despite some objections from players
Indigenous star Ash Gardner, the No.1 ranked T20 allrounder in the world, smashes her trademark slog sweep shot in a WBBL match for the Sixers
The West Indies are set to travel Down Under again for next summer's season, and Mohamed said it could be an opportunity to educate them, and the Aussie side, on First Nations people.
The NATSICAC meets every year to discuss scheduling.
Both the BBL and WBBL now have Indigenous rounds, while before each home series the Australian side - of both genders - does a Barefoot Circle with their opponents to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land.
The West Indies participated in that at the start of November's Test series, before then taking a knee prior to each game to acknowledge their own battle to combat racism.
West Indies and Australia players participate in a Barefoot Circle prior to the Test series between the two sides in November. The Indigenous practice has now become commonplace in Australian cricket
No BBL matches are scheduled to be played on Thursday, just the Aussie women's side's second T20 match against Pakistan.
While Mohamed clearly believes playing cricket can be a valuable experience for Australians of all backgrounds, Gardner is defiant in her opposition to the idea.
The 25-year-old, whose mother and ancestors come from north-western NSW, will play on January 26 in the second game of the series, but said it 'didn't sit well' with her.
Ash Gardner (right, pictured before captaining the Governor General's XI against Pakistan earlier this month) has been scathing of Cricket Australia's decision to schedule a game on Australia Day
'As a proud Muruwari woman and reflecting on what January 26 means to me and my people, it is a day of hurt and mourning,' the
