Warne, Gilly, Ponting are back

Australian cricket legends Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting will team up once again in an exhibition match in Perth on December 10.

The trio are will face the Perth Scorchers in a KFC T20 Big Bash League pre-season match at Aquinas College, with former Australian superstars Matthew Hayden, Andy Bichel and Michael Kasprowicz also set to play.

The last time Warne and Gilchrist played together was in the Lord’s bicentennial match in July, but the master leg-spinner was unable to bowl after a Brett Lee beamer broke his hand whilst he was batting.

Gilchrist, Australia’s most successful wicketkeeper, was shattered when he couldn’t keep to Warne at the home of cricket, but now has another opportunity to play with the king of spin.

“Keeping to Warnie again was one of the main reasons that I agreed to play in that match at Lord’s and I was incredibly disappointed when he couldn’t bowl,” Gilchrist told the West Australian.

“The highlight of my career was keeping to him and I am glad that I will get another chance this summer.”

The organisers are hoping the match becomes an annual event after the traditional Lilac Hill fixture, for many years the first tour game for travelling countries, was abandoned in 2009.

Gilchrist says the match should provide a solid hit out for the BBL defending champions Scorchers, and hopes the festival game delivers just as much entertainment off the field as it will on it.  

“This should be an excellent workout for the Scorchers players just before they get to defend their Big Bash title and hopefully we will give a pretty good account of ourselves too,” Gilchrist said.

“It is our intention to make this an annual event just before the start of the Big Bash.

“And the Twenty20 format is perfect for a festival game because there is plenty of action on the field but it does not go long enough to distract from the important action off the field.”

Scorchers coach Justin Langer, currently in India preparing his side for its first Oppo Champions League Twenty20 game, says the match will be a great experience for his players ahead of BBL|04.

“It’s a great opportunity for the Scorchers to get back into playing Twenty20 cricket after the one-dayers and Sheffield Shield,” said Langer.

“It’s also an unbelievable opportunity for our players to play against guys like Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne.

“While it will be fun on the field and it will be nice for them to rub shoulders with them, it’ll also be fantastic experience.

“For the fans, they get to see the Scorchers for the first time for the summer and also get to see some of the greats of Australian cricket playing.”