Australia appeals for quake donations

The Australian Cricket Board will ask television viewers of Friday's one-day match between Australia and West Indies to donate money to victims of the earthquake in Gujarat.

"There will be an appeal going through the Nine Network right through the commentary tomorrow encouraging people to ring through to the World Vision telephone network to assist in supporting this very worthy cause," ACB chairman Denis Rogers told a news conference on Thursday.

"There are people sleeping outside. Deadly disease is just waiting to launch itself so we have to do something quickly."

The Kutch region near the Pakistan border was worst hit in the January 26 quake, which killed an estimated 50,000 people.

Australia named a 14-man squad on Thursday for a three-Test series against India, starting next week. Australia's captain Steve Waugh, known for his charity work in India, said his players would do what they could during the tour.

"If we can help out in any small way, we'll definitely do it," Waugh told a news conference in Melbourne.

Rogers handed over a cheque for $10,000 (US$5,500) to World Vision chief executive Lyn Arnold, part of a plan to raise $1 million within Australia for the earthquake appeal.

"This will generate an enormous amount of public support, we know that by past experience," said Arnold, flanked by Australian players Damien Fleming and Glenn McGrath.

"It's not been since the 1960s that we've had a death toll such as this from an earthquake. We have the tragedy of the dead but we also have the tragedy of the living.

"If we can't get food and water and medicine to those outer-lying districts then that will be a tragedy."

Australia lead West Indies 1-0 in the best-of-three one-day finals series and the second match is in Melbourne on Friday.

Mail Cricket Editor