Cricketers unite for Australia bushfire relief fundraiser match
Former West Indies skipper Brian Lara will be in the same team as Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer in the upcoming Bushfire relief fundraiser match.
The playing XIs for both Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist's sides were revealed on Thursday.
The funds from the match will go to the communities affected by the recent bushfire disaster, cricket.com.au reported.
Ponting's side, which will be coached by former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar also comprises of lethal pacers such as Brett Lee and Wasim Akram.
On the other hand, Gilchrist side's has a solid top-order comprising of Yuvraj Singh, Shane Watson and Andrew Symonds.
Ponting XI: Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting (c), Elyse Villani, Brian Lara, Phoebe Litchfield, Brad Haddin (wk), Brett Lee, Wasim Akram, Dan Christian, Luke Hodge. Coach: Sachin Tendulkar
Gilchrist XI: Adam Gilchrist (c & wk), Shane Watson, Brad Hodge, Yuvraj Singh, Alex Blackwell, Andrew Symonds, Courtney Walsh, Nick Riewoldt, Peter Siddle, Fawad Ahmed (one more to be announced).
Coach: Tim Paine
The match was originally slated to be played at Sydney on Saturday but weather forecast prompted Cricket Australia to reschedule the game to ensure the best possible pitch and outfield conditions for the final of Big Bash League.
The match will now be played on Sunday, February 9 at the Junction Oval in Melbourne.
Bushfire relief match was slated to be played between Ponting XI and Warne XI, but now Adam Gilchrist will be taking over the captaincy from Shane Warne, as the former spinner has prior commitments.
The Bushfire Bash exhibition match will be a 10-overs-per-side contest, with a five-over Powerplay, no bowling restrictions, and batters unable to get out from the first ball they face.
Bowlers will not have over limits, fielders can sub on and off as it suits, while captains will have the ability to sub batters in and out during an innings.