Sachin Tendulkar will coach the Ponting XI, with Australian Test Captain Tim Paine stepping up as Gilchrist XI coach.
The rain forecast for Sydney during the day has forced us to reconsider our original idea of playing the Bushfire Cricket Bash before the BBL09 Final at the SCG on Saturday, February 8.
The BBL09 Final will still proceed on Saturday night at the SCG under normal playing conditions. The decision to move the charity match has been made to give The Final the best chance possible of going ahead.
The Bushfire Cricket Bash will be played following the CommBank T20I between Australia and England, with a limited amount of tickets available to be released later today. Both matches will be broadcast live on Fox Cricket on Foxtel, Kayo and Channel 7.
All match profits and funds raised at all matches played across the weekend’s Big Appeal will go to the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund. The Big Appeal now includes the BBL09 Final, both Commbank T20 Internationals and the Bushfire Cricket Bash.
Ticket holders for the KFC BBL 09 Final will be communicated directly from Ticketek on Thursday with adjusted gate and match timings, as well as instructions to apply for a refund if requested. Gates for the BBL09 Final at the SCG will be at 5:30pm.
Kevin Roberts, Cricket Australia CEO, said:
“It’s been a whirlwind 24-hours, but we’re really proud to say that there will be four fantastic games of cricket held over the weekend of The Big Appeal.
“We have moved the Bushfire Bash from the SCG because we want to provide every opportunity for the BBL09 Final to be played on Saturday night. We have no doubt that the SCG pitch and outfield will be in great condition for The Final.”
“The Australian Women’s team is looking forward to a packed house at Junction Oval for their T20I against England, leading into the Bushfire Bash with a line up of cricket legends being broadcast around the world.
“Thanks to Shane for his incredible fundraising efforts and contribution to the planning of this event. He hands over the captaincy to Adam Gilchrist who will now lead the Gilchrist XI against the star studded Pointing XI.
“A huge thanks also to everyone that put their hand up for Saturday’s game, who can’t be there on Sunday, and for those who continue support behind the scenes.”
Shane Warne, Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Brad Fittler, Grace Harris were all keen to be involved, although travel commitments and prior engagements mean they are unavailable on Sunday.
The remaining squad members will be announced in the next 24 hours.
Current playing squad for the Bushfire Cricket Bash: Ricky Ponting ©, Adam Gilchrist ©, Alex Blackwell, Brad Haddin, Brett Lee, Brian Lara, Courtney Walsh, Dan Christian, Matthew Hayden, Luke Hodge, Justin Langer, Phoebe Litchfield, Andrew Symonds, Nick Riewoldt, Elyse Villani, Shane Watson, Yuvraj Singh and Wasim Akram.
Fans can get involved in the Big Appeal by buying tickets to any game across the weekend, watching the match on Fox Cricket on Foxtel or Kayo, Channel Seven and by donating at cricket.com.au/BigAppeal. Anybody affected by changes to the match for donations, will be contacted directly.
Match details for the Big Appeal:
Saturday, February 8
Women’s Commbank T20I – Australia v India
Junction Oval
Start time: 11:10am AEDT
KFC BBL09 Final
Sydney Cricket Ground
Gates: 5:30pm
Start time: 7:15pm AEDT
Sunday, February 9 at Junction Oval
