Bushfire Charity Bash: Tendulkar, Ponting, Brian Lara, others raise over $7.7 million, Cricket Australia confirms

Cricket Australia on Sunday confirmed that the Bushfire charity cricket match raised over USD 7.7 million for the communities shattered by the fires that wrecked Australia for months.

The match featured legends from the past and the two teams were led by Aussie greats Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist.

Ponting XI scored 104 for 5 in their allotted 10 overs before they defeated Gilchrist XI in a close encounter by just one run at the Melbourne Junction Oval stadium.

West Indies legend Brian Lara top-scored for Ponting XI with 11-ball 30 and his knock was inclusive of three boundaries and two sixes. The next best batter in the first innings was the captain himself. Ponting scored 26 from 14 balls including four boundaries. The wicket-takers for Gilchrist XI were West Indian fast bowler Courtney Walsh, who drew first blood with the dismissal of Justin Langer, India's Yuvraj Singh, who removed Matthew Hayden and former Australian all0rounder Andree Symonds, who dismissed Phoebe Litchfield. Meanwhile, Lara was declared retired hurt.

In the second innings, Gilchrist and Shane Watson came out to open the innings. The two put up 49 runs in three overs before Watson was retired out. He scored a quick-fire nine-ball 30 and his knock included three sixes and two fours. Brett Lee, who was a part of Ponting XI, showed he still has can threaten the batsmen as he dismissed Brad Hodge for a two-ball duck.

Symonds scored 29 runs from 13 balls before Gilchrist XI fell short by one run.

In the innings break, India's legendary Sachin Tendulkar padded up for facing 2019 Women's Cricketer of the Year Ellyse Perry and Annabel Sutherland for an over. The 46-year-old got off the mark with a boundary and then took a couple of runs before he blocked out the rest of the deliveries. Perry bowled four balls to Tendulkar before Sutherland completed the over.

Tendulkar was initially a part of the Bushfire Bash only as Ponting XI's coach. However, Perry sent across the challenge to the Indian legend on Saturday, which the latter graciously accepted. According to Tendulkar's latest tweets, he batted for an over with a shoulder injury and "against the advice of the doctor."