Published on astar.tv, since discontinued (the outlet has since moved to TikTok). Researched feature on the history of Indigenous cricketers in Australia.
Warning: this piece discusses Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people now deceased.
March saw the soaring success of the Australian Cricket Team over the rest of the world when they took home the trophy at the ICC Cricket World Cup. This achievement left many Australians feeling a sense of pride as they celebrated into the night, especially in Melbourne, where this year's final was held.
One thing to note, however, is the seemingly absent presence of a strong Indigenous contingent in the national team. This is not to say that Indigenous Australians cannot be proud of the team's win, or that Indigenous Australians should have to partake in this sport either. But when Australia's first international touring team was made entirely of Indigenous players (in fact, all of them cattle station workers from Victoria), one may understandably question: where have all the cowboys gone?
1868 was the year that saw Australia's first cricket team tour England. The thirteen players, and captain Charles Lawrence, won 14, drew 19 and lost only 14 of their 47 games. But such an achievement meant these men played 99 days out of a possible 126; these extreme efforts saw the death of one King Cole (Brippokei) and the subsequent removal of two more fatigued players.
This display of superior stamina, along with the skilful achievements of several players, was received and acknowledged proudly by the hosting nation's press. However, the incredibly lucrative Indigenous team, attracting 8,000 to 10,000 spectators a game, was rewarded with embezzlement, and eventually the Aboriginal Protection Act of 1869, which restricted the movements of Aboriginal people, especially overseas. This was merely the first of many times Indigenous cricket players were rewarded with discrimination for a seemingly innate and exceptional skill in the sport.
Eddie Gilbert, arguably cricket's most impressive fast bowler, was met constantly with calls of "no ball" for the incredible speed with which he delivered the ball down the pitch. Even after playing with splints and taped arms (to fix his arm in a straight line), he was still met with ignorance and suspicion. One of the most impressive demonstrations of his skill was bowling Sir Donald Bradman for a duck in 1931, regarded by Bradman himself as "faster than anything seen."
Being only one of many examples where the sport has turned its back on Indigenous athletes, or even outright discriminated against them, it could well be inferred that the lack of players from Indigenous backgrounds today is a continuation of the same exclusionary behaviour, or simply a responsive turning-of-the-back from Indigenous players. But Cricket Australia still insists that it is in search of strong Aboriginal role models in the sport, which calls into question why so many of the talented athletes who compete in the Imparja Cup are not invited, or aren't choosing to play, at the Test level.
With so many international teams comprised of varied nationalities and ethnicities, it clearly isn't practice of the ICC to exclude men of colour. So what will it take to see Indigenous players rise to the forefront of the sport in the manner of their forefathers? Not discounting the choice athletes have in which sport they participate, perhaps we have seen the end of top-level players with the retirement of Jason Gillespie, or perhaps the great victory of the current Australian team will shine an attractive light on the sport, and we might just see the great skill and strength of our Indigenous athletes return to Test cricket in 2019, at the next Cricket World Cup.