Prime Minister’s XI: Will Anthony Albanese run the drinks for team?

The Prime Minister’s XI fixture soon returns after a two-year hiatus and Anthony Albanese will have a say in selection. But don’t be surprised if he goes in to bat for another big event.

Cricket Australia may look to resuscitate plans to field an all-Indigenous Prime Minister’s XI, three years after Scott Morrison reportedly pushed back against the idea.

It won’t happen this year when the Prime Minister’s XI fixture returns after a two-year Covid-forced hiatus against the West Indies on November 23, but News Corp understands CA have reopened discussions about a historical Aboriginal team contesting the match in the future.

Whether or not it’s the Prime Minister’s XI or another fixture on the calendar, CA would like to further opportunities to the country’s top indigenous cricketers with a high class match.

ESPN Cricinfo reported two years ago that the Morrison Government gave a “less than enthusiastic” response to CA’s plans upon his re-election in 2019, and the initiative was subsequently shelved.

However, CA may seek a fresh audience with new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who will help select the XI to face the Windies in a pink ball four-day match in Canberra next month, and has been invited to run the drinks for the team as Morrison famously did in 2019.

“Definitely. I’m sure the players would be because it’s something they like to handball from time to time,” said PM’s XI coach, Andre Borovec.

Cricket Australia is expected to re-enter talks with Anthony Albanese about a historical Aboriginal team contesting the Prime Minister’s XI fixture.

“We’re looking forward to having him (Albanese) in and around the team and touching on that, I think it’s going to be a great experience for the players to experience this fixture because of the history involved.

“Anthony is more than welcome to even throw some balls if he wants to.”

Borovec is a great untold coaching story, given he never played cricket professionally himself yet has progressed all the way to now be one of Andrew McDonald’s assistants and head coach of the PM’s XI.

He won’t be part of the selection panel though headed up by Albanese and national selector George Bailey who will pick the team.

South Australian opener and an Australian Test hopeful for next year’s tour of India, Henry Hunt — who has a history with ACT Cricket — is one name who will be strongly considered for a call-up.

Borovec said it was important to have the PM’s XI game back on the calendar.

“It’s always been an important part of the Australian summer. In this case leading into the Test summer,” he said.

Then Prime Minister Scott Morrison runs drinks during the Prime Minister’s XI versus Sri Lanka T20 cricket match at Manuka Oval in 2019.

“The players see it as being a stepping stone in their ability to play against international teams and be exposed in that way.

“The pink ball nature of this game gives it some uniqueness that requires different skills at different times of the game. Above all it’s opportunity and information gathering for the selectors and coaches alike.”

There were famous photos of Morrison running the drinks out to the PM’s XI team at Manuka Oval wearing a yellow Australian hat.

Morrison copped criticism from leading indigenous Australian star Dan Christian in 2021 when the PM slammed Cricket Australia for scrapping the title ‘Australia Day’ from its January 26 Big Bash League fixtures, arguing that politics and sport shouldn’t mix.

Langer turns down chance to have final say on coach exit

Justin Langer starred in the first Amazon documentary, but has declined the invitation to have the final word on his career in the sequel.

Prime Video announced on Tuesday night at a showcase event in Sydney the pending release of another instalment of its hit fly on the wall documentary series on the Australian cricket team, The Test Season Two.

The leadership of Langer and former Test captain Tim Paine was the focus of the original series, but the four-episode sequel to air in the New Year takes a very different tone as it documents the dramatic exits of both men.

Justin Langer and Pat Cummins.

Players including Pat Cummins are interviewed about Langer’s demise in The Test Season Two, however, News Corp has been told Langer politely turned down an approach from producers to add his voice to the narrative being told.

Langer’s decision was out of respect for the intention of the project to be player focused.

“We understood that this documentary was very much about the players and their stories,” said Langer’s manager, James Henderson.

“On that basis, it was an easy decision for Justin to respect that and not be involved.”

It’s understood the players interviewed were respectful of Langer in giving their appraisal of why the dressing room needed a change, as a different brand of leadership is unveiled.

“We have a direction that we want to go,” star Mitchell Marsh says in a one-minute sneak peak of the documentary released on Tuesday night.

“This is Pat’s team. And this is our team.”

Tim Paine’s demise as Aussie captain is documented. Picture: Zak Simmonds

In the wake of his ugly departure from Cricket Australia, Langer has spoken of his deep hurt and anger at his treatment by administrators, but vowed he has embraced a new chapter in his life and will be heard this summer in commentary for Channel 7.

The episodes are still going through final edits, but the Paine departure will be covered in the opening episode, featuring the raw reaction of players in quarantine in Brisbane watching their captain’s emotional demise on the eve of the Ashes.

After the first two episodes document the Ashes triumph over England, the third episode covers off on Langer’s exit and the tour of Pakistan under new coach Andrew McDonald.

The series then finishes with a final episode documenting the tour of Sri Lanka.

While The Test season one focused primarily on the regeneration of the team post Sandpapergate under Langer before climaxing with the epic drama of the 2019 Ashes – season Two takes on a slightly different pace and goes in depth with a few players.

Scott Boland’s MCG debut is a focus of the new series. Picture: Michael Klein.

Usman Khawaja’s stunning Ashes comeback and Scott Boland’s extraordinary debut at the MCG are two focus points, as documentary makers go behind the scenes with both men and their lives off the field as multicultural and indigenous ambassadors for the sport.

The cameras also go into the homes of other stars like Cameron Green, Steve Smith and David Warner as the personal lives of players is spliced with the fly on the wall dressing room footage that fans couldn’t get enough of in the first documentary.

Boland and Nathan Lyon spoke at Tuesday night’s Prime Video Showcase: An Evening with the Producers event in Sydney and were interviewed on stage about the experience of having cameras follow their every move.

The documentary is once again directed by Adrian Brown, along with co-director Sheldon Wynne and shot by genius cameraman Andre Maeger, who earned the trust of players filming the first season.