Australian cricket team raises funds for Canberra bushfire victims

The Australian one-day international cricket team has helped raise nearly $20,000 to assist the victims of January's bushfires in Canberra.

On 24 January, the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) donated ten cricket bats to be auctioned on-line at eBay.com.au. The auction closed on 3 February with the total money raised from bidding reaching $19,680.

Each bat was signed by Australia's 15-man squad that departed for the 2003 International Cricket Council World Cup in South Africa on 29 January.

All proceeds from the on-line auction will be donated to the Canberra Bushfire Recovery Appeal, to assist the communities affected by the bushfire disaster.

ACB Chief Executive Officer James Sutherland said the devastation of the bushfires had moved the Australian players to help.

"The cruel effects of the bushfires and the damage they caused is tragic," Mr Sutherland said.

"The players were concerned and united in their approach to find a way to assist the victims.

"The Australian team was inspired by the courage of other Australians, emergency workers and volunteers who pulled together in a time of despair.

"We know there are many people around Australia rallying for this cause, and we hope Australian cricket's contribution provides some relief for the bushfire victims who lost so much so quickly," Mr Sutherland said.

Media note: The 15 players who autographed the bats are: Ricky Ponting (captain), Adam Gilchrist (vice-captain), Michael Bevan, Andrew Bichel, Jason Gillespie, Ian Harvey, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hogg, Brett Lee, Darren Lehmann, Jimmy Maher, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Andrew Symonds and Shane Warne.