ICC urges people to donate in Australia bushfire relief fund

Shane Warne

Dubai (UAE): The International Cricket Council (ICC) urged people to help the communities and families affected by the bushfire across Australia.

"We encourage the global cricket family to support relief efforts through our charity partner UNICEF Australia, who is prioritising bushfire emergency relief and has established a fund and action plan to assist children in bushfire affected areas," ICC said in a statement.

In addition, tournament hosts Cricket Australia (CA) are supporting a range of initiatives, including encouraging people to donate to the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund.

Earlier, Australia former spinner Shane Warne on Monday had announced to auction his Baggy Green cap to raise funds for victims of devastating bushfire in Australia. Taking to Twitter, Warne made the announcement and posted a statement.

"The horrific bushfires in Australia have left us all in disbelief. The impact these devastating fires are having on so many people is unthinkable and has touched us all. Lives have been lost, homes have been destroyed and over 500 million animals have died too," Warne wrote.

"Everyone is in this together and we continue to find ways to contribute and help on a daily basis. This has led me to auction my beloved baggy green cap (350) that I wore throughout my Test career," he added.

Warne joined a growing list of cricketers to raise money for the bushfire victims. Australian players Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell and D'Arcy Short have already announced that they will donate AUD 250 each for every six they hit in the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL) to support bushfire victims.

Athletes from other sports too joined the movement as tennis stars Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic decided to donate 25,000 dollars each for Australia's bushfire relief fund.

Wildfires have been raging across Australia for months, killing 23 people and burning about 6 million hectares (23,000 square miles) of bushland, CNN reported.

Naval and air rescue operations were launched on Friday as mass evacuations of towns at risk of being engulfed by flames got underway.

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