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That is cricket: Andrew Strauss and Salman Butt support Pakistan Floods Appeal

By Victoria Watts
August 4, 2010 at 5:05 pm

Cricket normally stays well off my radar but in the last few days it’s given me cause to smile three times. Firstly when my younger, very un-sporty, cousin gave a candid complaint about her new boyfriend’s obsession with the sport and her subsequent role as a cricket girlfriend subjected to 12-hour days involuntarily learning a vocabulary of googlies and ducks.

Then came the surprising admission from a colleague that she loves the sport so much that she owns a DVD set of a past championship and even tried to get her husband to incorporate a cricket tournament into their honeymoon – I just didn’t see that one coming!

But the thing that made me smile the most was the news that members of both the England and Pakistan cricket teams have joined together to support the Pakistan Floods Appeal. The teams are  encouraging fans to support the appeal – and they’ll be holding a collection at the second Test match between the two countries at Birmingham’s Edgbaston on Friday.

England cricket team captain, Andrew Strauss, said: “Although we hope to win the second Test match on Friday, our thoughts are with the Pakistan team and the millions of people devastated by the floods in Pakistan. The best way to support the relief effort in Pakistan is to give money to the DEC Pakistan Floods appeal. We have organised a collection at Edgbaston, and I urge you to pick up the phone, or go online and donate.”

Salman Butt, Pakistan cricket team captain, added: “Millions of people have been affected by the severe flooding in Pakistan, including family and friends of members of the Pakistan team currently here in the UK. Please give generously and support the DEC Appeal to help those whose lives have been washed away.”

It’s always great to see people in the public eye put their names to a good cause, especially when they’re rivals. So if you’re heading to the match on Friday, be sure to give what you can afford, and in the meantime, pass on this on to any cricket fans you might know.

Donate to the DEC Pakistan Floods Appeal

Donate to the British Red Cross Pakistan Floods Appeal

What we’re doing in Pakistan and how you can help

Photo credit: Getty Images


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