It was a day when pride in the game of cricket swelled the heart, not to mention some very essential coffers. The stronghold of 70,101 spectators turned up at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to support the players who surpassed all barriers and played the game in a healthy competitive spirit, keeping in mind the need to live up to the occasion, even as the images in the wake of the Tsunami disaster left similar, if not more overwhelming emotions.

In the end, it mattered little that the Asian XI, coached by Bob Woolmer and led by India's Sourav Ganguly, lost by 112 runs to the Ricky Ponting-led Rest of the World, coached by Steve Waugh.

The first of two such one-day internationals - the second might be staged at another glorious venue, Kolkata's Eden Gardens - raised in excess of 14,645,123 dollars and eighty-five cents. A staggering figure by all measures! And the players have put forth their outfits for auction on a website along with the coin that was used for the toss. The World Vision Tsunami Appeal game brought to the fore the clout that cricket has despite having only ten countries in the official fold.

 

While Shane Warne played his first one-day international since his retirement from the shorter version, Sanath Jayasuriya made an appearance despite the trauma of nearly losing his mother in the tragedy. Muttiah Muralitharan, who has epitomized the good Samaritan after the disaster, took three wickets on a ground where he hasn't exactly enjoyed the best of times, thanks to the spectators! While Sachin Tendulkar was advised against batting, it did not stop him from making an appearance on the field.

There was the great Steve Waugh, who displayed a rare heart-warming smile after diving to make a save. While the game was taken very seriously, the players appeared cheerful, but the clouds of the disaster hovered low. Ricky Ponting walked away with glory, scoring a scintillating 115. Chris Cairns and Brian Lara chipped in with half-centuries as well, as the Asian XI found the target of 345 beyond their reach. While Rahul Dravid played in signature style, remaining unbeaten on seventy-five, there were no forlorn faces at the end of the game. Without sounding clichéd, the game of cricket truly won and every person involved in getting this match organized in a matter of ten days came out a winner.

The two teams pose at the end of the match.

The only people with some consternation were the dutiful men behind the statistics. The decision to bestow 'official' status on the game was made with the intention of ensuring a competitive effort by the players, but it certainly poses a problem as far as the compilation of an individual player's statistics is concerned. Not that the incentive was required, given that the players appeared visibly concerned about the large-scale devastation caused by the natural disaster.

Even as the humungous crowds turned up with flags of the cricketing nations, the cause of the occasion was not lost on them. Accepting the cheque, Tim Costello of World Vision said that while they could not bring back the dead, hope is what everyone had for those who had survived. The fact that the cricketing nations willingly came together was immensely gratifying. It was an encouraging sight, and one that generates a lot of hope.

Kudos to the glorious game!