A drawing by Andrew Flintoff depicting Joe Root as a baby crawling towards the Ashes urn is among the pictures up for auction as part of the Cricket United charity day to be staged on the third day of the final Test at the Kia Oval next Saturday.
Members of the 2005 and 2015 Ashes-winning England squads were invited to draw pictures of each other that will be auctioned for a joint fund-raising appeal on behalf of the Lord’s Taverners, Chance to Shine and the Professional Cricketers’ Association Benevolent Fund.
The players’ drawings include a print by the 2005 captain, Michael Vaughan, of Stuart Broad celebrating one of his eight first-innings dismissals at Trent Bridge in the fourth Test this month; Jimmy Anderson’s portraits of England’s seam attack of 10 years ago and Andrew Strauss being bowled behind his legs by Shane Warne; and Jos Buttler’s sketch of Marcus Trescothick as “Michelin Man”. Ashley Giles’s “king of Spain” moniker is recalled by his former Warwickshire team-mate Ian Bell.
The auction is open until 7pm on Sunday 23 August.
For next Saturday’s Cricket United day, spectators are being asked to wear something blue or make a voluntary donation in the ground for a blue T-shirt. Funds raised will help the Lord’s Taverners provide more sporting chances for disadvantaged and disabled young people; Chance to Shine to spread involvement in cricket among young people in schools and communities; and the PCA Benevolent Fund to help past and present professional cricketers in their need.
The stumps and bails as well as sponsors’ hoardings will also be coloured blue for the day.
The England captain, Alastair Cook, said: “It’s a bit of fun and the lads enjoyed drawing the 2005 guys. We hope the portraits will raise much-needed funds for three fantastic charities, the Lord’s Taverners, Chance to Shine and the PCA Benevolent Fund and help improve lives through cricket.
“It’s safe to say that the majority of us are not budding artists but we’d urge all cricket fans to support the Cricket United appeal either through bidding for the drawings on eBay or by helping to turn the Kia Oval blue on 22 August.”
More information is available from the Cricket United website.
