Champagne gesture doesn’t mean Cricket Australia has solved its race problem

There’s a story Usman Khawaja once told about growing up as a Pakistani Muslim in Australia, trying to fit in to the country’s notoriously white and conservative cricket culture.

“I mean, none of them [Australian sporting teams] looked like us. I was brought up to believe if I didn’t drink alcohol growing up I was un-Australian. So then why should I support a country that doesn’t believe in me?” “Inclusivity in the game and our values as a sport are so important. I feel like we are trending in the right direction.”

On the one hand, it might seem like focusing on a few seconds of footage of Australian cricketers slapping each other on the back while they celebrate thrashing the English might be overkill in terms of its contribution to discourse around race and inclusivity in this country. Surely, not showering your only Muslim player in alcohol, so he’s forced to leave the celebrations is the bare minimum?The answer is that yes, it actually is the bare minimum.

There’s some obvious steps Cricket Australia, and the Australian sporting community more broadly, could make to ensure that sporting events are as inclusive as possible, and that inclusivity isn’t reliant on the initiative of particular players .

oz_f I reckon it’s Usman who should fit in. What’s wrong with a bit of a champagne shower? Great fun❗️C’mon Usman be a real Aussie.

oz_f This so called journo & his mum r so anti Australian. What a stupid article The majority of Australians praised the gesture by Pat Cummmins I say cheers to it 🍻🍺🥃🥂🍷

oz_f F**k me.

oz_f I’m not sure what being a Muslim has to do with ‘race’. This is a divisive and incorrect headline in and of itself. patcummins30 removed the alcohol purely out of respect for the religious beliefs of Uz_Khawaja - not because his heritage is Pakistani.

oz_f Same old white club we have wonderful young yes born here Asian parents, who want play for Australia 🇦🇺 refused approach from parents country, why NOT?natural talent not same old white names OPEN the doors please

oz_f Hang on…they drank after the match and surely, given Uz_Khawaja is 35 and has been around a while they would have thought about the alcohol thing earlier?

oz_f Ffs.

oz_f The SMH can find a race issue anywhere, anytime with absolutely anything.

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