Tendulkar Faces Ellyse Perry For Charity

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Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has padded up for the first time in almost six years to face Australian women's team star Ellyse Perry.

Test cricket's leading run-scorer was named coach of the Ponting XI for Cricket Australia's bushfire relief match at Melbourne's Junction Oval on Sunday.

He was not expected to take to the field due to a shoulder injury but the 46-year-old great did so for charity during the innings break of the 10-over match.

Perry's Australian teammates, http://www.vietpro.ca/User:JuanObq7532 who had just beaten England in a Twenty20 game, fielded for the six balls.

Young gun Annabel Sutherland also had a go at bowling to Tendulkar.

"Yesterday I figured I could see the ball, I'm not sure about hitting it," Tendulkar said.

"It's been a wonderful cause and I'm so glad I could be here."

Two volunteer firefighters were also out in the middle as Tendulkar whipped a number of shots to the leg-side.

He played his last international in November 2013 but has appeared in the occasional exhibition match since.

Tendulkar said it was his first time batting for five-and-a-half years.

Prolific Australian opening pair Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden reunited for Ricky Ponting's team, who faced a Adam Gilchrist-skippered XI.

The light-hearted affair ended in a tie with the teams manufacturing the result towards the end with some creative running and fielding.

Teenage star Phoebe Litchfield got the chance to bat with Ponting, as she came in ahead of Brian Lara.

Ponting retired on 26 shortly after so the 16-year-old could be out in the middle with the West Indian batting maestro.

Lara blasted some of his trademark cover drives in an unbeaten 30, smashing Australian women's player Elyse Villani, former St Kilda AFL captain Nick Riewoldt and Andrew Symonds to the fence.

He might have retired from international cricket 13 years ago and turned 50 last year but Lara's batting was as effortless as ever.

Australian cricketers will provide up to $2 million to help bushfire affected cricket clubs get back up and running.

It will be passed on through the Grassroots Cricket Fund - set aside by the players from their share of the game's revenue.

All match profits and funds raised at Cricket Australia across the weekend will go to the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund.