Photo Credit: Brisbane Heat
The Brisbane Heat have unveiled the club’s latest playing strip which harkens back to an earlier Indigenous cricket pioneer.
The Heat will champion the performances of Eddie Gilbert through their 2023-24 First Nations playing shirt design, that will be worn for the first time in their Weber WBBL First Nations Round match against the Melbourne Renegades this Friday at Allan Border Field.
The playing strip is an evolution from the original First Nations Round playing strip as worn for the past two seasons.
This year’s design has a centrepiece in Heat colours on the front of the shirt that depicts the Brisbane Cricket Ground in Woolloongabba (“place of whirling water”.)
The dots and wavy lines represent the flowing waterholes.
There are 87 strokes that represent the first-class wickets taken by the trail-blazing Aboriginal great, Eddie Gilbert who played 23 games for Queensland in the 1930s.
The same design will feature on the brim of the Heat’s First Nations playing cap and on the sleeve of the playing shirts.
WBBL Heat batter Mikayla Hinkley, a proud Kunja woman who traces her Indigenous heritage to the county around Cunnamulla, south of Charleville in western Queensland, had a role in designing the First Nations Round playing shirt. She collaborated with Brisbane Indigenous artist, and close friend, Delores McDonald (“Aunty Delly”) to create the jersey.
The design also recognises the Brisbane River, with its abundance of foods, plus animal and human tracks, which is illustrated on the long sleeve versions of the shirt by the Rainbow serpent/snake. This motif represents both male and female players.
The back of the playing shirt contains a Circle representing the Gabba, with the lines radiating out from it illustrating the journeys the teams take to and from the ground. The ochre and red oxide circles signify the land on which the Gabba is located, a special place where all are included and welcome.
With the assistance of members of the Queensland Women’s Indigenous team, the Heat launched their First Nations round playing strip today on board SeaLink’s Minjerribah vessel, the vehicle bridge to North Stradbroke Island.
The squad will wear this year’s Indigenous playing strip this Friday night at Allan Border Field against the Melbourne Renegades, and then again on Sunday at Junction Oval against the Melbourne Stars.
The Heat will play the Hobart Hurricanes tomorrow morning at Allan Border Field, retaining the same squad that defeated the Adelaide Strikers in Mackay on Saturday.
The match will be streamed live on cricket.com.au and Kayo, and broadcast on Foxtel.
- 21. Jess Jonassen (c)
- 22. Mignon Du Preez (Int)
- 5. Lucy Hamilton
- 44. Nicola Hancock
- 17. Grace Harris
- 25. Bess Heath (Int)
- 14. Mikayla Hinkley
- 77. Ellie Johnston
- 48. Amelia Kerr (Int)
- 88. Charli Knott
- 8. Georgia Redmayne
- 37. Courtney Sippel
- 13. Georgia Voll
