Cricket reveals plan to ‘respectfully deliver’ Australia Day games

Cricket Australia will consult Indigenous leaders on the best way to stage cricket on Australia Day as it plans to return January 26 to its summer calendar.

There is no cricket on Australia Day this summer because of a clash with the Australian Open tennis men’s final, but the desire to restore cricket to the contentious date is revealed in CA’s latest Reconciliation Action Plan, released this week.

Cricket star Ash Gardner would prefer there was no international or domestic cricket on Australia Day.Credit: Getty Images

Some Australian cricketers have raised concerns about playing on January 26, and a culture war erupted when CA dropped the term “Australia Day” from its marketing in 2021, prompting criticism from then prime minister Scott Morrison.

The action plan says the scheduling of matches on the day is the responsibility of Big Bash League boss Alistair Dobson, but a CA spokesman said on Wednesday that international cricket would also be played on January 26 if matches were required deep into the summer, as was the case when the West Indies and Australia played a Test at the Gabba this year.

The document says CA will “develop a place-based approach and guide to engage with Traditional Owners to respectfully deliver cricket on 26 January”, in collaboration with the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cricket Advisory Group.

Australia Day falls on a Sunday this summer, prompting CA to schedule the BBL final for January 27. Broadcaster Seven did not wish to compete with the men’s Australian Open final on Nine (owner of this masthead). But if Australia Day had been on any other day, CA would have scheduled a match.

January 26 falls on a Monday in 2026 and a Tuesday in 2027.

“We will play international or Big Bash matches on January 26 depending on the schedule each season,” CA said in a statement on Wednesday. “Cricket Australia will continue to collaborate with stakeholders and our advisory group NATSICAG to ensure all matches are delivered respectfully.”

Indigenous Australian cricketers Scott Boland and Ash Gardner have expressed reservations about playing on Australia Day.

Gardner, a Muruwari woman, has said it is inappropriate for the Australian team to be playing on a day that commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788. She has described the day as one of “hurt and a day of mourning” for Indigenous people.

Boland, a Gulidjan man and Australia’s only active male Indigenous international cricketer, described January 26 as “a day of mourning for a lot of people”. The Test fast bowler provided input into the latest reconciliation plan.

Arm in arm: Australian players before the start of play in the Brisbane Test last summer.Credit: Getty Images

Former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie, who is also Indigenous, has said the date should be changed to “a day in which all Australians can celebrate”.

There was no mention of Australia Day in the marketing for last summer’s Gabba Test, but the day was acknowledged at the ground. A CA spokesman said there would be no Australia Day acknowledgment in marketing for future games that fell on the day.

Tennis Australia said there would be no formal Australia Day celebrations at the Open this summer, having dropped so-called “activations” over the past two years.

However, TA said the national anthem would still be performed before the men’s final, as has always been the case.

In a statement leading into this year’s Open, TA said it was “mindful there are differing views, and at the Australian Open we are inclusive and respectful of all”.

Justin Mohamed, chair of CA’s Indigenous advisory committee, has expressed the belief it is possible to make January 26 a day of recognition. In releasing the latest reconciliation plan, Mohamed, a Gooreng Gooreng man, said the document remained a work in progress.

“CA’s commitment to reconciliation is a testament to its dedication to creating a more inclusive sport. We are proud of the progress made so far, but we recognise this is a journey and there is more work to do,” he said.

“By continuing to listen, learn and grow, we can ensure that cricket remains a sport that truly reflects the diversity and richness of Australian culture.”

Among the plan’s stipulations, CA wants to have greater collaboration between BBL clubs, state and territory associations and Premier and community clubs in hosting annual reconciliation matches. This includes providing clubs with greater information and help on how to do this.

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