Cricket's tsunami charity raises $11m
Cricket's tsunami charity raises $11m
Robert Smith, Agence France-Presse/Melbourne, Australia
World cricket opened its collective hearts and wallets to the
victims of the Asian tsunami with a massive A$14.6 million ($11
million) raised from its one-day charity match at the Melbourne
Cricket Ground on Monday.
The Rest of the World XI beat an Asia XI by 112 runs but the
result mattered little, as cricket's elite came together for a
unique contest before 70,101 fans as their heart-felt response to
the shattering events on Indian Ocean shorelines over a fortnight
ago.
It was an inspirational occasion with old rivals unifying for
the common cause and encouraging rich and not-so rich benefactors
to chip in with the extraordinary global effort helping the
victims recover from the tsunami which has killed more than
156,000 people.
Australia's richest man Kerry Packer made a donation of A$3
million, while other funds came from ground entry, donation
boxes, television appeals and corporate sponsorship. Prime
Minister John Howard tossed a silver dollar to begin the match.
A second match organized by the International Cricket Council
will be played probably in India in February or March to renew
fund-raising efforts for the huge reconstruction ahead.
Ricky Ponting cracked a 102-ball century and Brian Lara and
Chris Cairns half-centuries as the Rest of the World blazed their
way to 344 for eight after winning the toss.
The runs proved too much for the Asian all-stars with Indian
stylist Rahul Dravid topscoring with an unbeaten 75 off 71 balls
and freewheeling Indian opener Virender Sehwag's rollicking 45
off 39 balls the highlights, including his stupendous straight
six off Darren Gough.
Man-of-the-match Ponting entered into the spirit of the
occasion with eight fours and three sixes in his lively knock of
115.
The two teams raised a total of A$926,000 (US$703,000) from
match sponsors, who offered A$1,000 for each run scored and
A$50,000 for each of the seven sixes as part of the overall fund-
raising.
Lara, who put on 122 runs for the third wicket in his first
and likely last partnership with his Australian counterpart,
chipped in with a sweet 52 and Cairns a rambunctious 69 off 47
balls with six fours and two sixes as the World XI raced along at
almost seven runs an over.
Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was cheered back to
the MCG where he was no-balled by Australian umpire Darrell Hair
for throwing in 1995 and finished with 3-59 off 10 overs, while
Indian spinner Anil Kumble claimed 2-73 from 10.
Sri Lankan wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara made three quickfire
stumpings and took two catches in an impressive performance.
The Asia team looked on course to make a match of it through
its dynamic opening pair of Sanath Jayasuriya and Sehwag.
Sri Lankan veteran Jayasuriya, playing in his 334th one day
international, put on an entertaining 59 for the opening wicket
with Sehwag before he was fooled by a slower ball from Cairns and
was caught by Stephen Fleming at slip for 28.
Jayasuriya's mother saved herself from drowning by clinging to
a tree branch in Sri Lanka during the tsunami.
Sehwag fell to the second ball of Warne's opening over holing
out to deep mid-wicket where West Indian Chris Gayle took a
running catch.
Asia skipper Sourav Ganguly hit 22 off 40 balls before hitting
to a tumbling Gough at mid-off and Pakistani Yousuf Youhana was
out to a soft catch for four giving Warne his second wicket.
Sangakkara joined in a 42-run partnership with Rahul Dravid
but Gough got a big breakthrough when he had him caught behind
for 24 off as many balls leaving the Asia XI 156 for five.