Big Bash League 2018: Sydney Sixers take initiative to support youth cancer program
What's the story?
Big Bash League side Sydney Sixers have taken the initiative to support a youth cancer program, You Can, during their final round-robin match against the Melbourne Renegades at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 23.
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The club and the Sony Foundation have been in partnership for seven years now, and today, the Sixers joined hands with them to recognise and acknowledge young cancer patients who grapple with the deadly disease on a regular basis.
The heart of the matter
What will be unique about this initiative will be the fact that the players' names on their shirts will be replaced by words or phrases that the patients and survivors can relate to with their journey with cancer. The most commonly included words are Family, Friends and Love.
All the cricketers can then use those words as an inspiration during the match against the Renegades so that they are not only able to spread awareness about but also raise funds for the cause.
What's next?
After the game is concluded, each of the shirts will be autographed by the player who wore it and then auctioned off. Every dollar thus raised will then be donated towards the building of youth cancer treatment centres, with an upcoming one at the Prince of Wales Hospital towards the end of this year.
Author's Take
Such initiatives to help raise money towards a dreadful disease like cancer are not something new on the cricket field. The annual Sydney Test hosted by Australia is famously known as the “Pink Test”, as it is held to spread awareness about cancer, which took the life of the wife of former Australia bowler Glenn McGrath.
South Africa, for their part, have been sporting pink jerseys in ODIs at Johannesburg – so far, they have done it six times with the seventh occasion coming up against India next month – with money raised from ticket sales donated to hospitals treating cancer.