The meaning behind Australia’s Indigenous kit for India T20Is
Australia men’s team have followed the lead of the women’s team by wearing a special Indigenous kit for their upcoming T20I series against India.
The eye-catching design, which will be worn during the three T20I matches between 4 and 8 December, is part of Cricket Australia’s efforts to recognise and encourage the involvement of Indigenous Australians in the sport.
It is the result of a collaboration between manufacturer ASICS and two Indigenous women, Aunty Fiona Clarke and Courtney Hagen.
Clarke’s 2016 artwork “Walkabout Wickets”, which featured on the collars of the Aussie Test shirts during last year’s Ashes, is the circular centrepiece on the front of the shirt.
The piece represents the past, present and future Aboriginal cricketers, with the dots above depicting the stars and signifying ancestors.
Elsewhere on the shirt, there are rivers to show the connection between families and circles which represent strength between people and their continuing journey.
The back of the shirt has a circle motif with 11 points, which represents the 11 men from the 1868 cricket team sitting around a campfire. It signifies the thousands of years of fighting, educating and standing strong for the Aboriginal community.
The kit is part of Cricket Australia’s wider efforts to stand up against racism and recognise the inequality between non-Indigenous Australians and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
The Australian men's team will celebrate our First Nations people this summer by wearing this incredible Indigenous playing shirt for the entirety of the #AUSvIND Dettol T20 series! 🖤💛❤️ pic.twitter.com/GmD36G8XoC
— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) November 11, 2020
Just four Indigenous men and two Indigenous women have played cricket for Australia since 1877.
As well as wearing the Indigenous kit in their T20I series, the Australia men’s team will follow the lead of the women’s side in forming a Barefoot Circle in acknowledgement of Aboriginal Australia, before every series they play.
“As soon as you try and learn a little bit about it, it just becomes a really easy decision. Not only as a sport, but we as people are absolutely against racism,” Australia vice-captain Pat Cummins said of the decision.
“We can probably put our hands up and say we haven’t done enough in the past and we want to get better, so this is one small thing we’re going to introduce this summer.”
