Australia vs New Zealand 2019-20: Here is why Tom Blundell celebrated his ton at MCG by raising his bat with handle upwards

New Zealand’s Tom Blundell fought adverse conditions - a difficult MCG pitch among others - to score a century on Day 4 of the Boxing Day Test. Although New Zealand suffered a humiliating defeat against Australia, Blundell’s knock was cheered by fans, some of whom also waived off their shirts to celebrate the century.

However, no one would have guessed why Blundell celebrated his century the way he did – he raised his bat with the handle pointing upwards and the grip displayed prominently.

By using this bat grip, Blundell is raising money for a young girl named Hollie who is suffering from a rare form of cancer. His idea is to sell the bat grips, like the one he used, to raise money.

Tom Blundell... amazing - Test 💯 at the MCG using the Helping Hollie bat grip. 🙏 Thanks also Neil Wagner and Tim Southee for showing support. 👊All profits to Hollie: https://t.co/dToZit7b4N #BoxingDayTest #AUSvNZL #cricketnation @BLACKCAPS pic.twitter.com/8VTTPFJpKD

— Players Sports (@PlayersSportsNZ) December 29, 2019

Blundell’s century is special to the Kiwis because he became the first from his country to score a century at the hallowed ground.

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Also, this was his first Test match since 2017. Blundell was playing as an opener as an injury replacement for Jeet Raval. He batted till the end, while his second fiddles kept walking in and out in quick successions.

What a moment for Tom Blundell, scoring a fabulous 100 in the Boxing Day Test! 💪 #OhWhatAFeeling @toyota_aus | #AUSvNZ pic.twitter.com/TRTWb6h3N8

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 29, 2019

The 29-year-old has played three Tests and as many T20Is for New Zealand. Blundell is yet to make it to the ODI team.

Australia won the Boxing Day Test by 247 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.