Highlights
- Ajinkya Rahane has been awarded the first Mullagh Medal.
- The award is to honour Indigenous Australian cricketer Johnny Mullagh.
- Ajinkya Rahane scored a match-winning century at the MCG.
Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane who was the player of the Boxing Day Test has been bestowed with the first Johnny Mullagh Medal. Cricket Australia has started presenting the medal this year to honour the best player in the first-ever cricket team to represent Australia overseas, in 1868.
Ajinkya Rahane was presented the first Mullagh Medal after being named the Player of the Match at the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The award has been started to honour Indigenous Australian cricketer Johnny Mullagh, who was part of the 1868 Aboriginal team. This was the first-ever Australian sporting team to tour overseas and was made of 13 Aboriginal.
Johnny Mullagh is the first Aboriginal cricketer to have been inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.
A former English first-class cricketer, Charles Lawrence coached the team and organised their first international tour in 1868.
Mullagh played in 45 of the 47 matches during the England tour and scored 1,698 runs at an average of 23.65. He also took 245 wickets.
The men learned the game on cattle stations owned by English, Irish and Scottish, and began playing cricket for recreation.
English cricketer Charles Lawrence who began coaching the team, realised the potential of the men and organised the team's tour of England. However, the Board of Protection for the Aboriginal People refused them permission to travel because the voyage was deemed dangerous for the men.
After their return to Australia, most of them resumed their life on cattle stations. However, Johnny Mullagh, who was the star performer during the tour, continued to play the game. He played for Victoria, including against England when the team visited Australia in 1879.
Mark Greenwood, the author of the book Boomerang and Bat: The Story of the Real First Eleven, says the men decided to smuggle themselves out of the country.
“They packed their gear up and headed off to Queenscliff and smuggled themselves out onto a boat, and for most of the players, I assume, from Western Victoria they had never been on a boat, and they were sailing around the world for three months,” he told NITV Radio.
“And they arrived in England and when they did they weren’t the indigenous cricketers, they were Australians.”
Ajinkya Rahane, who scored a century in the first innings of the second Test at the MCG, paved the way for India victory and was adjudged Player of the Match.
With this win, Rahane has become the second Indian Test captain to win three matches in a row. He has led the Indian team in three matches only.
The MCG has become the most successful ground for the team outside India, with the team winning four out of the14 it has played here.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your jurisdiction's restrictions on gathering limits.
If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
News and information is available in 63 languages at https://sbs.com.au/coronavirus
Please check the relevant guidelines for your state or territory: NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory, ACT, Tasmania
Tune into SBS Hindi at 5 pm every day and follow us on Facebook and Twitter
