India's cricket chiefs have shelved plans to organise a four-nation limited-overs tournament in April to raise funds for victims of the devastating earthquake in Gujarat, sources said today.
Instead, a charity match between former Test stars of Australia and India, featuring Richie Benaud, Ian Chappell and Sunil Gavaskar among others, will be organised in Madras on March 23rd.
"None of the teams we approached were free to come in April," the sources said. They added invitations had been extended to Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
India last week turned down an offer from Pakistan to join a three-nation event in Sharjah to raise funds for the January 26th earthquake which has claimed an estimated 30,000 lives and left some 1.25 million homeless.
The charity match will be played a day after the three-Test series against Australia ends in March.
Organisers are confident they will rope in Benaud, Chappell and Gavaskar who will be in Madras doing television commentary on the Test series.
AFP