Cricket Australia donates AUD 50,000 to back fundraising drive in response to India's COVID-19 crisis

India, the world's second-worst coronavirus-hit country, recorded more than 3,00,000 new infections for a 12th straight day on Monday.

New Delhi: In a bid to help India fight the raging second of coronavirus, Cricket Australia (CA) on Monday (May 3, 2021) donated AUD 50,000 to UNICEF's 'India COVID-19 Crisis Appeal' fundraising drive.

"Australian Cricket has been deeply saddened by the devastation caused by second coronavirus wave to hit India, a country with which Australians share a strong friendship and connection," the statement said.

It added, "Australians and Indians share a special bond and, for many, our mutual love of cricket is central to that friendship. It has been distressing and saddening to learn of the suffering of so many of our Indian sisters and brothers and our hearts go out to everyone impacted."

Australian Cricket will throw its support behind the India COVID-19 Crisis Appeal by partnering with the @ACA_Players and @unicefaustralia to raise much needed funds.

Donate to UNICEF Australia’s India COVID-19 Crisis Appeal: https://t.co/JWpslbtY2j pic.twitter.com/E0CMow6h8z — Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) May 2, 2021

The UNICEF Australia's 'India COVID-19 Crisis Appeal' is procuring and installing Oxygen Generation Plants in hospitals to treat seriously ill patients, providing testing equipment and supporting the acceleration of the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out.

CA's generous gesture comes a week after Australian vice-captain and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pacer Pat Cummins donated $50,000 to the PM-CARES fund to help purchase oxygen supplies for hospitals in India.

pic.twitter.com/2TPkMmdWDE — Pat Cummins (@patcummins30) April 26, 2021

Notably, India is witnessing an unprecedented spike in COVID-19 cases from the past couple of weeks. The world's second-worst coronavirus-hit country recorded more than 3,00,000 new infections for a 12th straight day on Monday. India's overall caseload is now nearing 2 crores, while the total fatalities have increased to 2,18,959.