Long-awaited First Nations round vital: Gardner

Ashleigh Gardner is one of five Indigenous players in the WBBL, but she hopes the long-awaited arrival of First Nations rounds in the Big Bash will see that number rapidly grow in the generations to come.

The rounds will be held in both the Weber WBBL and KFC BBL for the first time this summer, as part of the League's commitment to education and connection with Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.

The WBBL will celebrate the round from November 17-21, beginning with the annual Faith Thomas Trophy match between Adelaide Strikers and Perth Scorchers.

The BBL round will be held from January 8-14 at venues around Australia.

"It's something I've been longing for, for seven seasons now," Sydney Sixers allrounder and Muruwari woman Gardner said on Monday.

"It's really important to me, to recognise and celebrate our rich and diverse culture (and) to show the wider community there is something to strive for and role models they aspire to be like."

For the first time, all eight teams will wear Indigenous uniforms, each designed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and sharing unique stories.

Players and officials will participate in barefoot circles, while Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony will take place before some games.

Five Aboriginal players are signed to WBBL|07 squads; with Gardner joined by Thunder captain Hannah Darlington (Kamilaroi) and teammate Anika Learoyd (Gumbaynggir), Brisbane Heat's Mikayla Hinkley (Kunja) and Renegades off-spinner Ella Hayward (Jawoyn).

"Hopefully the number five grows over the next 10 to 15 years … I'll be pushing for young Aboriginal kids to want to play cricket and sport at a higher level," Gardner said.

"When I was a young kid I never thought I'd play for Australia or the Sydney Sixers.

"You can't be what you can't see and there haven't been those (role models) for those kids to look up to (in cricket).

"You look at AFL and NRL, there's been a high number of First Nations players so they've had someone to strive to be like.

"But in cricket there haven't been those players … hopefully I'm inspiring some people to want to play cricket."

The introduction of the rounds follows the First Nations Festival of Cricket held during WBBL|06 in Sydney, coinciding with NAIDOC week, which had been postponed from July to November last year due to the pandemic.

The BBL recognised Indigenous history over the January long weekend last year, with three teams wearing Indigenous jerseys while Cricket Australia dropped the term "Australia Day" from promotions in a bid to normalise conversations over the date's history.

The Sixers and Scorchers debuted their Indigenous uniforms in their clash at Lilac Hill earlier this month.

The Sixers shirt, designed by Sydney-based Bidjigal woman Jordan Adler, represents the SCG and features a sand goanna, the totem of Gardner's Muruwari people, while the three rivers on the front of the shirt represent fellow Indigenous allrounder Dan Christian's Wiradjuri mob.

Christian, a Wiradjuri man, is one of five Indigenous players currently signed to clubs for BBL|11, alongside Thunder quick Brendan Doggett (Worimi), the Hurricanes' D'Arcy Short (Mitakoodi) and Scott Boland (Guligan), and the Renegades' Josh Lalor (Gamilaraay).