Cricket Australia pledges AUD 50,000 to aid India’s fight against COVID

Cricket Australia Chief Nick Hockley

Cricket Australia has pledged 50,000 Australian dollars to help India in the battle against the second wave of COVID-19. CA also revealed that it is looking to raise more funds in partnership with its players’ association and UNICEF.

India has been registering alarming COVID-19 numbers over the past month. Daily cases have touched the four-lakh mark, and the death toll is now around 3,000 per day. The country is also battling a severe shortage of oxygen supplies and other medical facilities.

In an official statement, CA informed:

“Australian Cricket will throw its support behind India’s COVID-19 Crisis Appeal, with Cricket Australia, the Australian Cricketers; Association and UNICEF Australia partnering to raise much needed funds. Australian Cricket has been deeply saddened by the devastation caused by this second coronavirus wave to hit India, a country with which Australians share a strong friendship and connection."

CA added:

“Cricket Australia will make an initial donation of AUD 50,000 and encourage Australians everywhere to give generously at this crucial time in India’s COVID-19 response.”

The funds raised by CA will be donated to UNICEF Australia and will be utilized for relief measures in India.

The CA statement further read:

“UNICEF Australia’s India COVID-19 Crisis Appeal is procuring and installing Oxygen Generation Plants in hospitals to treat seriously ill patients, providing testing equipments in heavily impacted districts and supporting the distribution of COVID-19 vaccine via the COVAX initiative.”

A few days back, Aussie and KKR pacer Pat Cummins donated $50,000 to PM Cares Fund for the purchase of oxygen supplies for Indian hospitals.

KKR-RCB match rescheduled as players test COVID positive

In a related development, Monday’s IPL 2021 match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has been rescheduled.

According to reports, two players from KKR - Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier - have tested positive for the coronavirus.

ANI quoted a BCCI official as saying:

"Varun and Sandeep tested positive and that made the RCB camp wary of the situation. The game is set to be postponed."

Earlier, Delhi Capitals' Axar Patel, KKR’s Nitish Rana and RCB’s Devdutt Padikkal also tested positive for COVID-19. However, they later tested negative and have been taking part in IPL 2021 matches.