Cricket Australia’s decision to remove the term ‘Australia Day’ from its marketing campaign for matches being played on January 26 has drawn criticism from Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
With three Big Bash games to be played tomorrow, Cricket Australia has made the decision to drop the term on the basis of recommendations from the sport’s National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cricket Advisory Committee.
The matches will simply be referred to as the ‘January 26’ fixtures.
Three teams will also wear indigenous stories during the matches and one of the games will have a barefoot circle, Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony.
“They thought it was pretty important to not remove cultural elements we have celebrated all season on a day like that,” Cricket Australia’s diversity and inclusion manager Adam Cassidy told the media.
“Obviously it’s a bit of a challenge when you have matches being played on a day of mourning for a lot of people.”
Morrison, meanwhile, slammed the move by CA in a recent interview.
“I think a bit more focus on cricket, and a bit less focus on politics would be my message to Cricket Australia,” he told radio station 4RO.
“I think that’s pretty ordinary but that’s what they’re putting on their press releases.”
