US$11m from Tsunami Relief Appeal match

 


World Vision leader Tim Costello holds a cheque for over 14.65 million dollars (11million US) raised from the Asian XI cricket team’s match against a Rest of the World team held at the MCG in Melbourne 10 January 2005. The one-day charity match is a fundraiser for the victims of the tsunami tragedy in Asia and organizers sold out the 80,000 seat stadium as well as selling the television rights to 122 countries. 
World cricket opened its collective hearts and wallets to the victims of the Asian tsunami with a massive 14.6 million dollars (11 million US) raised from their one-day charity match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Monday.

The Rest of the World XI beat an Asia XI by 112 runs but the result mattered little, as cricket's elite came together for a unique contest before 70,101 fans as their heart-felt response to the shattering events on Indian Ocean shorelines over a fortnight ago.

It was an inspirational occasion with old rivals unifying for the common cause and encouraging rich and not-so rich benefactors to chip in with the extraordinary global effort helping the victims recover from the tsunami which has killed more than 156,000 people.
 
 
 
  Australia's richest man Kerry Packer made a donation of three million dollars, while other funds came from ground entry, donation boxes, television appeals and corporate sponsorship. Prime Minister John Howard tossed a silver dollar to begin the match. A second match organized by the International Cricket Council will be played probably in India in February or March to renew fund-raising efforts for the huge reconstruction ahead.