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The recent lauding of indigenous cricketer Scott Boland for his bowling performance at the MCG during the Boxing Day Ashes test match was wonderful. However, the Australian cricket community patting themselves on the back for his selection is fairly sickening. The real story is that Boland was only the second indigenous cricketer to play at this level. Where have all the talented indigenous players been? Too many Australians tell us that this nation is not a racist country, but the proof is in glaring facts like these. The cricketing culture has overwhelmingly been an Anglo white bread affair Down Under. White Australia cricket: We’re not racist despite the facts in front of your face.
Cricket the Game of Colonial Masters
Cricket is a game traditionally played by the colonial masters in places like Australia, India, and South Africa. The white flannels, village greens, willow, and leather are accoutrements of the landed gentry in this quintessentially English sport. That Aboriginal cricketers have failed to break through at the higher levels speaks volumes about the nature of racism in places like Australia. Cricket is an exclusive club where only a few individuals outside of the dominant cohort have ever broken through the social barriers put in place by its participants and masters. The athletic prowess of indigenous sports people has never been in doubt as the football codes can testify to. This is a far more sinister social force at play preventing their acceptance in this sport.
Test Cricket the Pale Heights
Test cricket is one of the very highest realms an Australian sportsperson can aspire to. This rare and elite club is the peak of societal achievement in a sporting mad nation like Australia. Minorities have traditionally struggled with acceptance into the rarefied air of these sporting clubs and bodies. A perusal of the names of test cricketers over decades of test cricket sees a lot of Smiths, Jones, and other Anglo offerings. Very few Khawaja’s and names of this ilk grace the pages of Australian cricketing history. If you want to see proof of racism at work in Australia here it is.
Where is the Local Indigenous Talent Cricket Australia?
Whether it be local indigenous talent or talent from our multicultural melting pot test cricket in Australia has long been indifferent to its existence. Those with darker and different shades of skin have long been ignored by the baggy green. Whilst India has taken over the mantle of the powerhouse of world cricket, Australia has remained largely white bread inside its white flannels. The racist island nation loves its cricket and perhaps a few cracks are appearing in its white Australia policy on the cricket field.
©Midas Word
