Only four First Nations people have represented Australia in Test cricket, but an Indigenous pathways program launched in regional New South Wales is hoping to change that.
In Orange in the state's central west, more than 70 Aboriginal boys and girls attended a training session with the New South Wales women's cricket side.
Wiradjuri boy Jakay Read said hearing from Indigenous players Hannah Darlington and Anika Learoyd has inspired him to pursue the sport.
"It has been pretty mad having a bowl with a few mates, I've enjoyed getting into cricket," he said.
"It is something I would like to do, becoming the next Mitch Starc or Pat Cummins."
As a Gumbaynggirr woman, Anika Learoyd said she was hoping to encourage the next generation of Indigenous cricketers like Ash Gardner and Scott Boland.
"It is absolutely phenomenal because you really can't be what you can't see, so to have the likes of Ash and Scotty up there playing for Australia is pretty exciting," Learoyd said.
"These kids are now able to see people who have been there and done that from shoes pretty similar to their own, it doesn't seem as far out of reach as it may have once."
Getting kids into cricket
In the 2022 AFL season, there were more than 100 Indigenous players, while in the NRL there were 62 First Nations players.
Since Australia's first Test match in 1880, just eight First Nations people have represented Australia in international cricket across all formats.
In 2021, Kamilaroi woman Hannah Darlington made her debut against India in one-day and Twenty20 cricket.
She said seeing dozens of children attend the first pathways session showed the code could make up lost ground on other leagues.
"We have seen other sports leapfrog us in the way they go about getting some pretty special talent into their competitions," Darlington said.
"Seeing the amount of kids that are loving the sport out in these rural areas is pretty exciting."
Darlington said cricket must be made more accessible to grow the game in Indigenous communities.
"We are really good at making bins as stumps, garages as auto wickets and all these rules that come into the beauty of backyard cricket," she said.
"But as soon as you want to take that next step towards becoming a cricketer, it is a bit difficult to get that access to a cricket kit and all the facilities you need."
Empowering First Nations players
Gamilaraay man Andrew Gordon represented New South Wales for more than a decade in the National Indigenous Cricket Championship, commonly known as the Imparja Cup.
Gordon says cricket provides an opportunity for young Indigenous men and women to express their culture.
"We are talking about giving Aboriginal kids a voice themselves so when they get there they can be proud of their community, be proud of the commitment they have shown," he said.
Gordon said creating an environment for Indigenous players to flourish was crucial.
"If we are going to create the future Ash Gardners and Scott Bolands of the world, they are going to be able to take from their experience of how they got there, but learn from their own journey," he said.
"It is a big thing knowing where you have come from and where you are going to."
NSW Cricket is holding further training sessions with Indigenous children in Newcastle and Sydney this year, and plans to return to regional areas next year.
