Australia men’s cricketers have donated their prize money from their tour of Sri Lanka to support the ones impacted by the economic crisis in the Island nation. Back in June-July, the Aussies played a multi-format bilateral series against Sri Lanka. The players of the teams, captained by Pat Cummins and Aaron Finch, will donate A$45,000 to UNICEF.Due to the economic crisis in Sri Lanka, the country’s president and prime minister were forced to resign. The funds donated by the players will go to UNICEF's programs, supporting education, healthcare, nutrition and mental health services for nearly 2 million children on Sri Lankan soil.
"It was very clear to us how much day-to-day life for Sri Lankans is being impacted," Cummins, who is an UNICEF Australia ambassador, was quoted as saying."When the team saw what was happening it was an easy decision to donate our prize money to UNICEF, who have been in Sri Lanka for more than 50 years supporting the needs of children and families," he added.Finch mentioned that Sri Lanka warmly welcomed them during the tour and also hoped for the tour to “lift their spirits in some small way"."Last year Australian cricketers got behind India in its time of crisis during the peak of the COVID-19 Delta wave and we thank them for again giving generously to help Sri Lankans impacted by the current crisis," Tony Stuart, the UNICEF Australia CEO, said."Australia has a strong bond with Sri Lanka that goes beyond the match days and this donation is gratefully received to support the long-term wellbeing of Sri Lanka's families," he added.
