Several stars pull out as bushfire match moved to Melbourne on Sunday
Cricket's bushfire relief match has been rescheduled and is set to be played on Sunday at Melbourne's Junction Oval but the last-minute change has cost the match some of its headline stars, including Shane Warne.
Cricket Australia confirmed on Thursday it had decided to play the fundraising match – which will feature some of the greats of the game – at the St Kilda venue as the second leg of a double-header also featuring a women's Twenty20 match between Australia and England.
Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting had been named as captains of the two teams for the fundraiser, but Warne is unavailable for the rescheduled game.Credit:Getty Images
The move comes after CA announced that the bushfire match would be shifted from Sydney due to heavy rain forecast for Saturday. The match had originally been slated as a curtain-raiser for the BBL final. The final will remain at the SCG on Saturday night.
However prior commitments mean Australian Test great Warne – who was set to captain one of the teams in the 10-over match – Mike Hussey and Michael Clarke have all had to withdraw.
Adam Gilchrist will now captain one of the sides, in opposition to a team led by his long-time teammate Ricky Ponting.
Former international stars Brian Lara, Yuvraj Singh and Wasim Akram are still set to play, while Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar will appear in a non-playing role.
Sixers and Australian star Steve Smith backed the call to move the bushfire match.
"I think it's a wise move to postpone or move the bushfire relief game, we don't need people playing on the wicket before the Big Bash final," Smith said.
"If it's going to be raining and things like that, it'll make things really difficult. That's a wise move.
"I think we've earned the right to host the final, the way we've played, and we're hopeful this rain stays away and we can get a game in."
Players for fundraiser match (teams yet to be announced): Ricky Ponting (c), Adam Gilchrist (c), Brian Lara, Yuvraj Singh, Wasim Akram, Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Shane Watson, Andrew Symonds, Brad Haddin, Brett Lee, Alex Blackwell, Dan Christian, Nick Riewoldt, Elyse Villani, Luke Hodge, Cam Smith.