Photo Credit: ICC
Australian cricketer, Scott Boland, has taken the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 Trophy to Uluru, playing red dirt cricket with the local indigenous community alongside Trophy Tour ambassador, Shane Watson.
Boland, a proud Gulidjan man, became just the second recognised indigenous male player to represent Australia in Test cricket when he famously made his debut with a Player of the Match performance in The Ashes Boxing Day Test last year.
He was joined by cricket legend Shane Watson, with the duo visiting the Field of Light before playing cricket with students from Nyangatjatjara College on the red dirt with Uluru as the backdrop.
The visit is part of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Trophy Tour, driven by Nissan, which will touch down in 21 locations across all eight Australian States and Territories in addition to 12 other countries. The trophy has already visited Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Cairns, which included a trip out to the iconic Great Barrier Reef.
Speaking from Uluru in Australia’s Northern Territory, Scott Boland said: “I’ve never played a game of cricket on the red dirt, so it was pretty cool to bowl to some kids who haven’t played much cricket in their life before – to pass on some knowledge to them was a highlight and something I’ll never forget.
“I think it’s really important to grow the game of cricket. The more we can get out to remote areas where cricket isn’t the number one sport like it is in big cities, to give those kids the opportunity to play and learn what it’s about, is how we’re going to get more Indigenous kids through the pathway system.”
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Local Organising Committee CEO, Michelle Enright said: “The visit to Uluru supports our purpose to bring generations and cultures together for the T20 World Cup. Our indigenous communities are an important part of the focus we want to bring to multicultural inclusion and there is no better place than Uluru to showcase the culture of our First Nations people.”
Bringing the Trophy to such an important place in our nation’s history using the global platform of a World Cup is a significant occasion and we’re grateful that Scott Boland and Shane Watson, as two fantastic ambassadors for cricket, were able to bring the trophy here to connect with the local community and share Australia’s indigenous culture with cricket fans all over the globe.”
The Trophy Tour is designed for anyone, anywhere at any time enabling fans to get involved from home with a 3D augmented reality filter, housed on the official T20 World Cup Facebook and Instagram channels. Fans are encouraged to get creative and show the world where you play cricket using the trophy filter, with the best rewarded with ICC Men’s T20 World Cup themed prizes.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will be played from 16 October to 13 November later this year with 16 international teams featuring across Australia in seven host cities. Tickets start from just $20 for adults and $5 for kids.
Travel packages are available through icctravelandtours.com or fans can purchase tickets directly at t20worldcup.com.
