Brian Lara, Wasim Akram, Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting roll back the years in style for Bushfire Cricket Bash

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  • A staggering sum of $7.7m was raised as legends of the game came together for the Bushfire Cricket Bash at Melbourne’s Junction Oval on Sunday.

    Staged to raise funds for communities ravaged by the bushfires in Australia over the last few months, the charity match saw former stars such as Brian Lara, Wasim Akram, Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting roll back the years in style.

    The result – a one-run victory for the Ponting XI over the Gilchrist XI – was secondary with the cricketing legends putting on a fitting show while uniting for a noble cause.

    Bushfire

    In between the two innings, Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar strutted his wares after facing an over bowled by Australian women’s team duo of Ellyse Perry and Annabel Sutherland.

    At the end of an entertaining afternoon in Melbourne, we look at some of the best social media reactions from the Bushfire Cricket Bash.

    Brian Lara was in vintage form with the West Indies great depositing an Andrew Symonds delivery over mid-off with the most elegant of lofted drives.

    Here is Adam Gilchrist dispatching his former team-mate Brett Lee for a trademark six on the very first delivery he faced.

    Sachin Tendulkar found the boundary off the first delivery he faced off Perry, although it came after a horrible misfield.

    Bowling clearly was not Justin Langer’s forte with Andrew Symonds dishing out some brutal punishment against the current Australia head coach.

    Shane Watson showed no mercy to the ‘Sultan of Swing’ Wasim Akram by launching into a huge six.

    The former Pakistan pacer came back strongly though, by castling the stumps of Cameron Smith.

    Lara was in smashing form, with the left-hander retiring hurt after plundering 30 runs off just 11 deliveries. Here he is, with a superb six over mid-off.

    Big Matthew Hayden wasn’t going to miss out on the day, with the former Australia opener registering the first six of the match.

    Former India star Yuvraj Singh missed out on the big hits as he was caught on the boundary ropes off the bowling of Lee.

    Justin Langer didn’t have the best of times with the bat either, with the southpaw seeing his stumps rattled by old nemesis Courtney Walsh.

    Here’s some of the most comical running between the wickets you will ever see.

    You could tell Walsh was rusty once he brought out the moon ball.

    Match over, it was time for the legends to sign off each other’s shirts.

    Two goats together right here.

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