Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne to lead teams in bushfire relief match

Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne to lead teams: The legendary pair and some other known Australian cricketers will play in a charity match.

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting and legendary spinner Shane Warne will come out of retirement to play a charity match for the bushfire in Australia. Both the stalwarts will be seen leading the two sides – Ponting XI vs Marsh XI.

Other than this pair, illustrious names such as Adam Gilchrist, Justin Langer, Brett Lee, Michael Clarke, Shane Watson and Alex Blackwell will also take part in the match to be played for a noble cause. Former captain Steve Waugh and former women’s player Mel Jones will be involved in a non-playing capacity.

The catastrophic bushfire has caused a lot of damage as far as land, life and monetary loss is concerned. The coming together of so many renowned names is likely to generate a handsome amount of fund which will go to the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund.

It is worth mentioning that the match will be played in a blockbuster triple header on February 8 when Australia Women are scheduled to host India Women in a T20I in addition to the final of the ongoing ninth season of the Big Bash League.

While the women’s match has been moved to the morning of February 8, Ponting XI vs Warne XI will serve as a build-up to the BBL final. The venue for the same will be announced once the finalists of the tournament get confirmed.

Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne to lead teams

“I’m delighted to confirm the Bushfire Cricket Bash will be Cricket Australia’s major fundraising initiative to support Australians impacted by the recent unprecedented bushfire emergency.

“People the world over have seen the overwhelming images of hundreds of thousands of hectares burnt, precious lives lost, hundreds of properties destroyed and the devastating loss of wildlife as a result of the fires. These images have reinforced the need to get behind organisations like the Australian Red Cross which is responding to the immediate requirements of people who have lost loved ones, their homes, and their livelihoods,” Cricket Australia CEO Kevin Roberts was quoted as saying on the occasion.

Among other recent measures to contribute to the cause are Australia’s Test bowling attack donating A$1,000 for every wicket that they took in the recent concluded Sydney Test against New Zealand.

While the likes of Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell and Fawad Ahmed had announced to donate money with respect to every six that they hit in the Big Bash, Warne recently auctioned his baggy green for a huge sum of more than one million dollars for the same cause.