Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne to captain legends bushfire appeal match ahead of BBL final
Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne will captain teams of stars in a match to raise funds for the bushfire appeal, to be played ahead of the BBL final on February 8 and part of an epic triple-header.
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After giving up his cherished baggy green cap to raise more than $1 million for the bushfire relief fund, Shane Warne has just two wishes for Cricket Australia celebrity charity match where he will line up against his former teammate Ricky Ponting as opposing skippers.
First, he hopes the February 8 all-star blockbuster will raise a tonne of cash to support the national recovery effort. And secondly, he’s hoping his old mate Brett Lee will land the ball on the pitch this time.
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Six years ago, when they were playing against each other in an exhibition match to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Lord’s, Lee got a little carried away with the excitement of bowling to the king of spin so Warne has sent him a timely reminder to get his length right.
“I walked out to bat with a few balls to go and he decided to try and rip my off stump out and bowled a 150km/h beam ball,” Warne said.
“He broke my hand so I didn’t get to bowl, which was disappointing so hopefully if he bowls to me this time he’ll make it bounce.”
Lee has already agreed to play in the mega fundraising match – which will be staged as a curtain raiser to the Big Bash final – along with a host of other cricketing greats, including Justin Langer, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Watson, Alex Blackwell and Michael Clarke with plenty more to be named.
“All the fast bowlers will be on my team,” said Ponting.
“As soon as I got the call from (Cricket Australia CEO) Kev Roberts, I couldn’t put my hand up quick enough.
“Now, it’s up to us to drag as many of our mates into it as well.
“It can be amazing what people will do to try and help others out in difficult times.”
Unlike the 2005 Tsunami appeal match, the bushfire fundraisers won’t be restricted to professional cricketers, with both captains hoping to draw players from other sports and the celebrity world.
“Me and Punter will sit down and come up with the best way to sort of mix it up so they’re pretty even teams,” Warne said.
“We’re trying for everyone, women’s cricketers, men’s cricketers, celebrities from movies, films, TV, football, AFL, all the sporting codes, tennis.
“We’re trying to bring together an eclectic group and a diverse group that people will identify with and it’d be nice to see a few guys out their comfort zone who think they can play.”
The venue won’t be finalised until the host of the BBL final is decided on January 31 but with the Melbourne Stars and Sydney Sixers currently sitting first and second on the table, the MCG and SCG are looming as the most likely places.
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The match is expected to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund and will form part of an all-day celebration of cricket that will begin with Australia’s women’s team playing a T20 international against India at Junction Oval in Melbourne.
“It’s going to be a historic day for Australian cricket and a really powerful and enjoyable way to raise much needed funds and awareness through this very challenging time in Australian history,” Blackwell said.
Originally published as Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne to captain legends bushfire appeal match ahead of BBL final