SYDNEY: Australia’s ‘Summer of Cricket‘ got underway in earnest on Friday with the first one-day international against India in front of a socially-distanced crowd of some 20,000 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
While the global health crisis had a clear impact on the staging and timing of the clash, there was recognition before the match of another of the main changes to world in the eight months since Australia last hosted international men’s cricket.
In an echo of the ‘Black Lives Matters’ movement, both teams stood in a “Barefoot Circle” on the pitch before warming up as a stand against racism and a recognition of indigenous or First Nation Australians, “the traditional owners of the land”.
While the global health crisis had a clear impact on the staging and timing of the clash, there was recognition before the match of another of the main changes to world in the eight months since Australia last hosted international men’s cricket.
In an echo of the ‘Black Lives Matters’ movement, both teams stood in a “Barefoot Circle” on the pitch before warming up as a stand against racism and a recognition of indigenous or First Nation Australians, “the traditional owners of the land”.
Australia and India take part in a Barefoot Circle to respectfully acknowledge our First Nations people, the tradit… https://t.co/Q80XNEWnpv
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) 1606445164000
There was a further moment’s silence to remember former Australia batsman Dean Jones, who died of a…