Former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on Wednesday said he is hoping that Bushfire Cricket Bash will offer some relief to the people and wildlife in Australia.
Tendulkar and West Indies bowler Courtney Walsh are set to coach the Ponting XI and Warne XI respectively in the Bushfire Cricket Bash. Ricky Ponting on Tuesday said that Tendulkar chose the right team to coach.
"How great is it to have @sachin_rt taking part in the Bushfire Cricket Bash and giving up his time to come out for the cause. Picked the right team to coach too!" Ponting had tweeted.
Replying to Ponting, Sachin wrote: "Chose the right team and more importantly the right cause my friend. Hope that the Bushfire Cricket Bash will offer some relief to the people and wildlife in Australia."
The match, scheduled on February 8, will be played to raise funds and all match profits will go to the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund.
Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer, Kevin Roberts, had said that 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 Cricket Australia 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 inputs from ANI )
