Leg spinner Anil Kumble feels lucky to be alive after narrowly missing the Asian tsunami in December.
Twenty-two of the world's best cricketers will clash at Lord's on Tuesday in aid of victims of the December 26 tsunami, which claimed more than 200,000 lives and left many more homeless around the Indian Ocean rim.
Kumble, who will play for the MCC XI against an International XI in the match, was finishing a holiday when the deadly waves struck India.
"I consider myself very lucky," Kumble told reporters at Lord's on Monday. "On December 26 I was about 60 metres from the beach."
"I was with my family and about 10 minutes before the tsunami hit I checked out (of the resort). We knew something was wrong but we thought it was just a high tide. We did not know what a tsunami was."
Sri Lanka cut short its domestic season after the disaster and its national team postponed a tour of New Zealand.
Three Sri Lankans from that side, Chaminda Vaas, Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara, will play on Tuesday but Muttiah Muralitharan was a late injury withdrawal.
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"It is going to take a very long time to, not forget but, actually to rebuild physically and emotionally."
Match organisers have sold 20,000 tickets and hope to sell the remaining 3,000 before the first ball is bowled.
A similar relief match in Melbourne in January raised more than $11 million, attracted almost 80,000 fans to the ground and had a huge worldwide TV audience.
The players in Tuesday's match promised to deliver more than a day of fund raising.
"It will be as competitive as most games," South African bowler Shaun Pollock said. "I do not think it will be light hearted but there will be a couple of light hearted moments."
But Indian batsman Rahul Dravid said the tsunami had put the competitive world of international sport into perspective.
"You do realise...that we are just playing a game," he said. "But it really makes you feel you can help in some way by playing the game and bringing some joy to people's lives."