The player of the match in the upcoming Boxing-Day Test between India and Australia will be awarded the Johnny Mullagh Medal as a tribute to honour the leader of the 1868 Aboriginal tour to the United Kingdom. Johnny Mullagh was the captain of Australia’s first sporting team that went abroad to play. The Johnny Mullagh Medal is a recreation of the original belt buckle worn by the 1868 team.
After unveiling indigenous shirts for the T20I series against India, Cricket Australia (CA) has now taken yet another step to recognize and encourage the involvement of Indigenous Australians in cricket. These new steps have been taken by the Australian board as per their 2019 Reconciliation Action Plan.
Mullagh, also known as Unaarrimin, was a skillful all-rounder. He played 47 matches during the 1868 England tour. Mullagh scored 1698 runs and grabbed 245 wickets on the Aboriginal tour of 1868. He was exceptional with the ball as he bowled 1877 overs with 831 maidens.
Sydney Sixers all-rounder Dan Christian and Australia women’s star Ashleigh Gardner led an Indigenous squad on a tour of the UK in 2018 to mark 150th Anniversary of all-Aboriginal cricket team. CA has lately taken efforts to create awareness about indigenous history of the country. Â Before the commencement of the ODI series in Novemver, the Indian and Australian players had formed a Barefoot Circle to respectfully acknowledge the country’s indigenous culture.
The Boxing-Day Test is Cricket Australia’s long-living tradition that was first started in 1950. The Boxing-day game will be the second test between India and Australia which will be starting on December 26 at the Grandeur Melbourne Cricket Ground with a cap on the capacity to 30000 cricket fans each day due to coronavirus outbreak.