Former India batsman Sachin Tendulkar and West Indies bowler Courtney Walsh are set to coach the Ponting XI and Warne XI respectively in the Bushfire Cricket Bash.
The match, scheduled on February 8, will be played to raise funds, the match profits of which will go to the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund.
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Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer, Kevin Roberts, said they are honoured to be welcoming Tendulkar and Walsh and are waiting for the ‘special day’.
“We are absolutely honoured to be welcoming Sachin and Courtney back to Australia where they both enjoyed a lot of success as players, and we can’t wait to have them involved in what is going to be a special day,” Roberts said in a statement.
“Both in the ICC Hall of Fame, Sachin is the greatest run-scorer of all time in international cricket, and we all remember what Courtney could do with the ball, taking more than 500 Test wickets. We’re looking forward to our people at CA and the entire Australian cricket family coming together for the Big Appeal,” he added.
Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne, Justin Langer, Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee, Shane Watson, Alex Blackwell and Michael Clarke will feature in the match while Steve Waugh and Mel Jones will be involved in a non-playing capacity. The remainder of the players are yet to be announced.
In addition to the match, the Community Bushfire Recovery Fund was announced to support the many cricket clubs and cricket communities affected to get back on their feet with an injection of $2 million from CA to open the fund.
Cricket Australia also announced that the ODI series against New Zealand in March will be dedicated to the volunteers and emergency services workers, people who have lost loved ones, property or livelihoods to the bushfires across the country, and community cricket club members impacted by the unfolding disaster.
(With ANI inputs)