A star-studded charity game to aid Australian&nbsp;bushfire&nbsp;relief was on Thursday moved from the Sydney Cricket Ground to Melbourne due to forecast torrential rain, forcing some players to drop out.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/bushfire-cricket-bash-to-feature-yuvraj-singh-sachin-tendulkar-and-many-more-stars-278295">'Bushfire Cricket Bash' to feature Yuvraj Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, Lara at Sydney stadium</a>

Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting were to come out of retirement to skipper the teams on Saturday to raise money for victims of the blazes which began in September and have left at least 33 people dead and thousands of homes destroyed.

It was scheduled as a curtain-raiser to the Twenty20 Big Bash League final, but with downpours expected, Cricket Australia (CA) said it would no longer be possible at the SCG.

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With the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BigAppeal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BigAppeal</a> approaching, exciting details about the star-studded sides have emerged! 
 
Details: <a href="https://t.co/BOYAVMPdk6">https://t.co/BOYAVMPdk6</a> <a href="https://t.co/6rrAqFzQk8">pic.twitter.com/6rrAqFzQk8</a>
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) <a href="https://twitter.com/cricketcomau/status/1225349976009531392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Instead, it will be played on Sunday at the smaller Junction Oval in Melbourne following a T20 clash between the Australia and England women's teams.

Warne, Michael Hussey, and Michael Clarke were among those forced out due to prior commitments.

"We have moved the&nbsp;Bushfire&nbsp;Bash from the SCG because we want to provide every opportunity for the BBL final to be played on Saturday night," said CA chief Kevin Roberts, amid concerns that the pitch could be damaged if there was a game beforehand.

Adam Gilchrist will now captain one of the teams in Warne's absence with Australian Test skipper Tim Paine acting as coach. The Ponting team will be coached by Sachin Tendulkar.

Other international&nbsp;stars taking part include Wasim Akram, Brian Lara, Courtney Walsh, and Justin Langer.

Match profits will go to the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund.

The Sydney Sixers will face either the Melbourne Stars or Sydney Thunder in the BBL final, weather permitting.

A star-studded charity game to aid Australian bushfire relief was on Thursday moved from the Sydney Cricket Ground to Melbourne due to forecast torrential rain, forcing some players to drop out.

A star-studded charity game to aid Australian bushfire relief was on Thursday moved from the Sydney Cricket Ground to Melbourne due to forecast torrential rain, forcing some players to drop out. Also read: 'Bushfire Cricket Bash' to feature Yuvraj Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, Lara at Sydney stadium Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting were to come out of retirement to skipper the teams on Saturday to raise money for victims of the blazes which began in September and have left at least 33 people dead and thousands of homes destroyed. It was scheduled as a curtain-raiser to the Twenty20 Big Bash League final, but with downpours expected, Cricket Australia (CA) said it would no longer be possible at the SCG. With the #BigAppeal approaching, exciting details about the star-studded sides have emerged! Details: https://t.co/BOYAVMPdk6 pic.twitter.com/6rrAqFzQk8 — cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) February 6, 2020 × Instead, it will be played on Sunday at the smaller Junction Oval in Melbourne following a T20 clash between the Australia and England women's teams. Warne, Michael Hussey, and Michael Clarke were among those forced out due to prior commitments. "We have moved the Bushfire Bash from the SCG because we want to provide every opportunity for the BBL final to be played on Saturday night," said CA chief Kevin Roberts, amid concerns that the pitch could be damaged if there was a game beforehand. Adam Gilchrist will now captain one of the teams in Warne's absence with Australian Test skipper Tim Paine acting as coach. The Ponting team will be coached by Sachin Tendulkar. Other international stars taking part include Wasim Akram, Brian Lara, Courtney Walsh, and Justin Langer. Match profits will go to the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund. The Sydney Sixers will face either the Melbourne Stars or Sydney Thunder in the BBL final, weather permitting.

Rain hits cricket's star-studded Australia bushfire fundraiser

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting praised young wicketkeeper-batsman <a href="http://www.wionews.com/search?q=rishabh+pant">Rishabh Pant</a>, so much so that he called him "another" Adam Gilchrist after the Indian's blistering 159 in the fourth Test.&nbsp;

"He is a real talent and an incredibly good ball striker. He has got a really good game sense as well. I have been lucky enough to coach him at Delhi (Capitals)," said Ponting, who had worked with the Indian during his stint with Delhi franchise at the Indian Premier League.

"He has got to do a bit of work on his keeping and he will also become a better batsman.

"We talk about him in the commentary box and he is sort of like another Adam Gilchrist," Ponting told cricket.Com.Au.

Gilchrist, the legendary Australian wicket-keeper batsman, has played 96 Tests, scoring 5570 runs at an average of 47.6. He also represented his country in 287 ODIs, amassing 9619 runs at 35.89.

Watch: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-hilarious-song-composed-for-rishabh-pant-by-fans-188365">Hilarious song composed for Rishabh Pant by fans</a>

On Friday, Pant became the only Indian wicketkeeper to score a century on Australia soil when he smashed an unbeaten 159 and shared a 204-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja, as the visitors declared at 622 runs for seven.

The 21-year-old also surpassed Mahendra Singh Dhoni's 13-year-old record of highest individual Test score by an Indian wicketkeeper. The former India skipper had scored 148 runs against Pakistan in 2006.

Ponting believes Pant will score more Test centuries than his predecessor Dhoni.

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"He is sort of like another Adam Gilchrist" – Ricky Ponting on Rishabh Pant after the India wicket-keeper batsman hit an entertaining 💯 at the SCG. 
 
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"We talk about MS Dhoni all the time and his impact on Indian cricket. He played a lot of Tests for India but made only six Test hundreds. This kid (Rishabh Pant) will make a lot more Test hundreds than that," Ponting said.&nbsp;

"He has already scored his second Test ton and a couple of 90s to go with it. Look he is someone who could play a lot of Test cricket for India across formats. Pant is only 21 and is already into his ninth Test."

Gilchrist also praised Pant for pacing his innings well.

"He played a beautiful innings today (Friday)," Gilchrist told foxsports.Com.Au.

"We probably all expected him to bat aggressively from ball one but he showed he can build an inning and then by the end of it allowed himself to play with all the freedom that we know he's got.

"It was entertaining. He's a cricketer that I would happily pay to watch."

Gilchrist believes Pant has the talent to become a successful Test cricketer.

"He's a cricketer that is at the start of his journey so he'll learn these particular parts of the game and he'll learn that there's always more time than what you think, but he's got a great foundation to be a successful Test cricketer," he said.

Though he shone with the bat, Pant's keeping wasn't always up to the mark as he dropped Usman Khawaja off Mohammed Shami late on the second day.

However, Gilchrist said Pant will become a reliable keeper as he learns from his mistakes.

"Although he's missed a few opportunities with the gloves, he's certainly held onto more than he's spilt. If he's prepared to work on his game, I'm sure he'll develop and become a really reliable keeper," Gilchrist said.

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting praised young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, so much so that he called him "another" Adam Gilchrist after the Indian's blistering 159 in the fourth Test.

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting praised young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, so much so that he called him "another" Adam Gilchrist after the Indian's blistering 159 in the fourth Test. "He is a real talent and an incredibly good ball striker. He has got a really good game sense as well. I have been lucky enough to coach him at Delhi (Capitals)," said Ponting, who had worked with the Indian during his stint with Delhi franchise at the Indian Premier League. "He has got to do a bit of work on his keeping and he will also become a better batsman. "We talk about him in the commentary box and he is sort of like another Adam Gilchrist," Ponting told cricket.Com.Au. Gilchrist, the legendary Australian wicket-keeper batsman, has played 96 Tests, scoring 5570 runs at an average of 47.6. He also represented his country in 287 ODIs, amassing 9619 runs at 35.89. Watch: Hilarious song composed for Rishabh Pant by fans On Friday, Pant became the only Indian wicketkeeper to score a century on Australia soil when he smashed an unbeaten 159 and shared a 204-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja, as the visitors declared at 622 runs for seven. The 21-year-old also surpassed Mahendra Singh Dhoni's 13-year-old record of highest individual Test score by an Indian wicketkeeper. The former India skipper had scored 148 runs against Pakistan in 2006. Ponting believes Pant will score more Test centuries than his predecessor Dhoni. "He is sort of like another Adam Gilchrist" – Ricky Ponting on Rishabh Pant after the India wicket-keeper batsman hit an entertaining 💯 at the SCG. READ 👇https://t.co/fofFrxgqLi pic.twitter.com/7CsO9ITloR — ICC (@ICC) January 5, 2019 × "We talk about MS Dhoni all the time and his impact on Indian cricket. He played a lot of Tests for India but made only six Test hundreds. This kid (Rishabh Pant) will make a lot more Test hundreds than that," Ponting said. "He has already scored his second Test ton and a couple of 90s to go with it. Look he is someone who could play a lot of Test cricket for India across formats. Pant is only 21 and is already into his ninth Test." Gilchrist also praised Pant for pacing his innings well. "He played a beautiful innings today (Friday)," Gilchrist told foxsports.Com.Au. "We probably all expected him to bat aggressively from ball one but he showed he can build an inning and then by the end of it allowed himself to play with all the freedom that we know he's got. "It was entertaining. He's a cricketer that I would happily pay to watch." Gilchrist believes Pant has the talent to become a successful Test cricketer. "He's a cricketer that is at the start of his journey so he'll learn these particular parts of the game and he'll learn that there's always more time than what you think, but he's got a great foundation to be a successful Test cricketer," he said. Though he shone with the bat, Pant's keeping wasn't always up to the mark as he dropped Usman Khawaja off Mohammed Shami late on the second day. However, Gilchrist said Pant will become a reliable keeper as he learns from his mistakes. "Although he's missed a few opportunities with the gloves, he's certainly held onto more than he's spilt. If he's prepared to work on his game, I'm sure he'll develop and become a really reliable keeper," Gilchrist said.

Rishabh Pant is another Adam Gilchrist, says Ricky Ponting

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Rain hits cricket's star-studded Australia bushfire fundraiser

Rishabh Pant is another Adam Gilchrist, says Ricky Ponting