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ADELAIDE - As New Zealand mull over how to topple Australia in the one-day cricket series decider, their opponents will visit the scene of their country's worst natural disaster.
Australian captain Ricky Ponting said his side would fly to Melbourne and visit the affected areas today en route to Brisbane for Friday night's Chappell-Hadlee Trophy decider.
Cricket took on minor significance at the Adelaide Oval when a staggering A$6 ($7.64) million was raised for bushfire relief during game four, thanks to corporate pledges, donations and ticket sales.
The Australian team also donated their match fees - around A$67,000 - while the New Zealand team offered a proportion of their match fees and New Zealand Cricket (NZC) also chipped in with a donation. NZC declined to say how much it or the players had given.
Ponting said after a lengthy team meeting that they would visit Whittlesea, at the centre of the worst-affected regions.
"We talked about what sort of impact we could have as a cricket team on some of those tragedies, and it was about us being able to digest what happened, to move away from that and think about playing cricket," Ponting said.
"There are a few guys in our side reasonably affected by it, so for them it's incredibly difficult. We're going to fly to Melbourne, get on a coach and go out to Whittlesea and spend a few hours there to try and make things a fraction easier if we can, help out whatever way we can.
"We'll lend our support and pay our respects."
Squad members Cameron White and Peter Siddle both lost family friends in the fires.
Ponting said the amount of money raised yesterday was "staggering".
"It was unbelievable for a day of international cricket."
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori said the tragedy had a clear impact on the Australian team.
"They were all pretty circumspect about it, pretty devastated by what had happened. I spoke to Ricky about it and he said it had affected the team," Vettori said.
"It's certainly a tragedy that has affected everyone involved today. It's not something as a New Zealander I'm all that familiar with, but we have a lot of sympathy for what's gone on.
- NZPA
