Operation CATALYST: Image Gallery
03 January 2006
Boxing Day 2005 cricket match between Australian and British troops at Camp Smitty, Iraq.
A team of Australian soldiers on Boxing Day 2005 won the military international cricket "Desert Ashes" against their British counterparts in the Al Muthanna province in southern Iraq, batting up 178 runs in a limited 20 overs game. The match was played in chilly conditions in the joint Australian-British base at Camp Smitty, on a concrete and matting pitch on an oval without a blade of grass in sight. The British managed only 112 runs before running out of time, despite a best-of-match score of 30 runs from Private Gaz Pye. The Australian XI was drawn from all ranks of the Al Muthanna Task Group Two while the UK line-up comprised soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (2 Para) which shares Camp Smitty with the Australians. The AMTG base at Camp Smitty near As Samawah, the capital of Al Muthanna Province, is made up of around 470 personnel consisting of a headquarters, mechanised infantry and cavalry manoeuvre forces, a training group and quick reaction and sustainment forces. It is part of the Australian Government's contribution to the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Iraq. The AMTG has two primary tasks: -- Provide a secure environment for the Japanese Iraq Reconstruction and Support Group (JIRSG) as they undertake reconstruction projects; and -- Assist in the training of the Iraqi Army so that they are able to take over the internal and external defence of their country.
| 20051226adf8163792_012 Garrett Plunkett bats for Australia during the Boxing Day 2005 cricket match between Australian and British troops at Camp Smitty, Iraq. (Date taken: 23 December 2005) Low-res | High-res |
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| 20051226adf8163792_037 Trooper Ben Redman bats for Australia during the Boxing Day 2005 cricket match between Australian and British troops at Camp Smitty, Iraq. (Date taken: 23 December 2005) Low-res | High-res |
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| 20051226adf8163792_060 Sergeant Lindsay Black, of the Australian Army, bowls in the Boxing Day 2005 cricket match between British and Australian troops at Camp Smitty, in the Al Muthanna Province of Iraq. (Date taken: 23 December 2005) Low-res | High-res |
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| 20051226adf8163792_100 Wicket keeper Sergeant Darrin Tyson (captain of the Australian team) catches a ball during the Boxing Day 2005 cricket match between Australian and British troops at Camp Smitty, Iraq. (Date taken: 23 December 2005) Low-res | High-res |
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