Ash Gardner's Australian teammates have thrown their support behind the Muruwari star after the allrounder shared her thoughts on Cricket Australia scheduling an international fixture on 26 January.
The show of support follows Cricket Australia's response to Gardner's comments, defending the decision for a women's international T20 between Australia and Pakistan the be played on the day.
Australian captain Meg Lanning said the players are "fully supportive" of Gardner's views.
"We've had a lot of discussions as a group around the game on January 26," Lanning said speaking at North Sydney Oval.
"I'd like to say that we're fully supportive of Ash and her stance and her feelings and views around it.
"It's something that we can't control in terms of the scheduling and playing on that day, but something we would like to do is acknowledge the sadness and grief that day brings for First Nations people."
Australia will play Pakistan in the second of three T20 international matches on January 26 at Hobart's Blundstone Arena after the fixture was moved from it's original date of January 27 after South Africa abandoned their men's one day international series against Australia.
Lanning said the team will be adopting an educational perspective about the impacts January 26 has on First Nations people leading into the match.
"We're going to try to use the opportunity we have to educate ourselves and try to create a better understanding of what it means and their culture," Lanning said.
"It's a really united front in the group and we all support Ash and her feelings around the day."
We're with you, Ash, and encourage others to use the day as one for reflection in the hope of gaining a greater understanding. https://t.co/HqpNBcYXUK
— Australian Cricketers' Association (@ACA_Players) January 22, 2023
The show of support follows Cricket Australia's formal response to Gardner's public criticism, where the governing body indicated the reassign for scheduling international cricket on January 26 was "to continue our ongoing education journey with First Nations people."
Cricket Australia acknowledges 26 January is a day that has multiple meanings and evokes mixed feelings in communities across our richly diverse nation," a Cricket Australia spokesperson said.
"We respectfully acknowledge it is a challenging day for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and for some people the day is regarded as a day of mourning.
"Cricket Australia understands and acknowledges Ash's position and appreciates her leadership and the contributions of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to the game of cricket.
"We will use the T20 International scheduled for 26 January as an opportunity to continue our ongoing education journey with First Nations people."
Seeing the comments to this story further reiterates the importance of further educating our society around issues our First Nations people still face and what they have and continue to endure. https://t.co/iSo2konO3n
— Jessica Jonassen (@JJonassen21) January 22, 2023
Cricket Australia's Indigenous cricket advisory committee NATSICAT (National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cricket Advisory Committee) were consulted on and approved the decision for a match between Australia and Pakistan on 26 January.
Following the last international match that featured an Australian team in 2019, the same committee advised Cricket Australia to stop referring to 26 January as Australia Day three years ago.
"For the past three years, Cricket Australia has referenced the day as 26 January, rather than Australia Day, which reflects our vision of being a sport for all and providing a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone involved in cricket," a Cricket Australia spokesperson said.
The Australian women's team will participates in a smoking ceremony before Thursday's match in addition to participating in a cultural tour of Hobart's Mount Wellington to learn about the local Indigenous community.
They will wear an Indigenous jersey, wristbands and socks for the match, designs they will also sport throughout next month's T20 World Cup.
