Pakistan Test captain Azhar Ali has come forward to auction his cricket bat and jersey to raise funds for the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Ali put up his cricket memorabilia for the auction in a bid to raise money and help those affected by the pandemic. The 35-year-old, on Tuesday, took to social media to announce that he was putting the bat with which he hit a triple hundred and the Pakistan national cricket team jersey for auctions. Ali said that he wore the cricket shirt during Pakistan’s victorious 2017 Champions Trophy. The jersey also had autographs from all of his Pakistani team members present during the tournament. Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers to Auction Bats, Gloves and Other Items From Their Record 229 Runs Partnership During RCB vs Gujarat Lions Clash in IPL 2016.

In a video message, the right-handed batsman announced that each item will have a base price of 1 million each in Pakistan currency. “I put 2 of my closest belongings on auction with a base price of 1 million PKR each to support People suffering due to ongoing crisis,” Ali wrote on Twitter. The bat was the same bat Ali used to score his only triple century in a Day-Night Test match against West Indies in 2016. The feat made him the first-ever centurion, double centurion and a triple centurion in day-night Test matches. Shakib Al Hasan Raises Over Rs 18 Lakh From 2019 Cricket World Cup Bat Auction to Assist in Fight Against Coronavirus Pandemic.

Azhar Ali to Auction Bat and Jersey

The jersey, on the other, was part of the cricket gear Ali used during the 2017 Champions Trophy tournament in which Pakistan beat India to clinch the trophy. The jersey in the video seen filled with signatures from his teammates in the tournament. “The money generated will go to needy people to help them fulfil their basic needs.

Both of these items are very close to my heart and I always thought of keeping them with me as a memory. But if these items can be of help and fetch money to help the underprivileged and needy, I am ready to willingly give it away.

Ali joins a host of sportspersons to have put up their cricket gears for auctions to help in the battle against the covid-19 pandemic. Earlier Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers put up memorabilia from their record-breaking partnership in an IPL match against Gujarat Lions during IPL 2016.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 28, 2020 01:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).