InMobi

Test rivals go into bat for Inclusion Championships

Bats signed by popular players involved in the latest Border-Gavaskar Trophy series are up for auction with funds raised going towards a worthy cause

They were fierce adversaries during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Series, but some of the biggest names in Australia and India's Test outfits have joined forces to help raise funds for – and the profile of – all-abilities cricket.

Pat Cummins, Jasprit Bumrah, Steve Smith, Virat Kohli, Nathan Lyon and Ravichandran Ashwin have signed a series of bats that will be auctioned this month to raise funds ahead of the National Cricket Inclusion Championships (NCIC) in Brisbane from January 19-24.

The online auction, conducted by Taverners Australia in conjunction with Cricket Australia's 'A Sport for All' inclusion program, is hoping to raise around $30,000 to support the development and expansion of all-abilities cricket.

The signatures have been organised, and the bats donated by Lyon who is Cricket Australia's National Ambassador for Cricketers with a disability.

Two of the signed bats up for auction // Supplied

The money raised will help fund coaching and development opportunities for teams competing at the NCIC, which features competitions for Blind and Low Vision players, those who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and cricketers with an Intellectual Disability.

One of the bats – all of which have been framed and carry certificates of authenticity – is signed by the recent Test series' leading wicket-takers Bumrah (32 at 13.06) and Cummins (25 at 21.36) who also squared off as rival skippers in the first and final matches.

The second carries the autographs of Smith and Kohli, two of the greatest batters of their generation who sit 15th and 19th respectively on the list of all-time Test runs scorers but seem unlikely to meet again in the longest format.

And the third bat has signatures from all-time great spin bowlers Lyon and Ashwin, with the latter calling time on his international playing career during the series which Australia won 3-1.

Ashwin's retirement with 537 Test wickets saw Lyon overtake him on the all-time tally, with the Australia off-spinner currently on 539 wickets from 134 Tests and Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralidaran (800) the only finger spinner ahead of him.

"I was in Perth before the first Test match against India and bought three Kookaburra bats with the idea of getting the six players to sign them," Lyon told cricket.com.au this week.

"I was looking at the opposing squads, and obviously Ash (Ashwin) and I have gone level-pegging with each other our whole Test careers.

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"Then you look at Smithy and Virat who have arguably been the two best batters across every format over the last decade or more, and there's Pat (Cummins) and Bumrah going head-to-head as two of the best bowlers in the world.

"So they are genuine collectors' items and hopefully people will be keen to get their hands on them and we raise some money for disability sport."

Lyon has been a passionate and proactive advocate for the all-abilities programs and the NCIC, which this year will coincide with the Australia men's team's two-Test tour to Sri Lanka.

But the record-breaking off-spinner has already fielded messages from a number of players he's befriended through his role as Ambassador, informing him of their selection in respective state teams and outlining their hopes for the Championships.

Last year, during a playing stint with English county outfit Lancashire, Lyon was at Lord's for the historic first all-abilities matches played at the Home of Cricket in London.

And prior to this summer's second NRMA Insurance Test between Australia and India at Adelaide Oval, he unveiled a new sticker on his bat that carried the words 'A Sport for All' in English script as well as in Braille.

That sticker, embossed with the series of raised dots that enables people with vision impairment to 'read' through touch, is also emblazoned on the face of the bats being put up for auction.

"It's all been really positive," Lyon said to the reaction of the Braille sticker on his bat.

"People realise I'm very passionate about ensuring cricket's a sport for all and supporting disabilities in cricket.

"That's because the girls and guys who are able to represent Australia in the disability games are exactly like (Australia women's captain) Alyssa Healy and myself.

"There's nothing different in my eyes, we're all there representing our country."

The NCIC was established in 2017, and last year featured the return of women's Deaf and Hard of Hearing teams (following a hiatus due to COVID-19 from 2020).

Last year's championships in Brisbane also introduced women's Blind and Low Vision exhibition matches for the first time with that competition to be expanded, in part through the support provided by the bat auction.

Details of the online bidding, which closes on January 31, can be found under the bat auction tab at Taverners Australia.