Cricket Australia will unite with sponsors to raise money for victims of the bushfires that have claimed 84 lives across Victoria. CA, Channel Nine and Commonwealth Bank will appeal for donations throughout Tuesday's one-day international between Australia and New Zealand in South Australia, a state that has also been ravaged by fire.
The Australia players wore black armbands throughout Sunday's one-day match at the Sydney Cricket Ground in acknowledgement of the victims of the deadly blazes. The idea was presented to team management by allrounders James Hopes and Cameron White - the latter of whom hails from the Gippsland region of Victoria, parts of which have been devastated in recent days.
CA chief executive James Sutherland held discussions with representatives from Channel Nine and the Commonwealth Bank throughout Sunday's match in Sydney, and details of their bushfire relief fund will be released on Monday. CA was heavily involved in the staging of the tsunami charity match at the MCG in 2005, which raised $15 million for victims.
Those who watched Sunday's game on Australian television were regularly updated on the bushfire crisis, in which an estimated 640 homes have been destroyed and 200,000 hectares of land effected. Local authorities expect the death toll to rise in the days ahead in what John Brumby, the Victorian premier, described as "the worst day in Victoria's history."
Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, hoped his side's 32-run win over New Zealand on Sunday provided some cheer to those effected by the blazes.
"The team have done whatever they can to try and show as much support as possible," Ponting said. "I know there are a few things in the pipeline already that the team will be discussing tomorrow to see if there are any other ways that we can help out in the Adelaide game. Even today, with a great result for Australia, hopefully we have been able to put a smile on a few households around Australia."