Inzamam keen to do well in fund-raiser

Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, and his teammates are keen to do well in the first one-day international against England on Saturday, which has been declared a fund-raiser for the October 8 earthquake victims.

"It is a significant match for us as there is a need for us and the rest of Pakistan not to forget about the problems being faced by the earthquake victims and that we need to do a lot more for them in future to rehabilitate them," said Inzamam. The earthquake in the northern areas of Pakistan killed over 80,000 people and has left some three million homeless.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and its players have been in the forefront of organising events to raise funds for the quake victims. The entire gate money from Saturday's day and night fixture will go towards the rehabilitation of the victims with a board official saying a sum of approximately 12 million rupees (US$ 200,761) should be raised from sale of tickets. The PCB has already donated 50 million rupees (US$ 836,505) for the quake victims with the players also contributing a percentage of their matches fees for the next one-year.

Inzamam made a fervent appeal to the people to make the match a big success. "It is an occasion when we can all do a lot to raise awareness about the plight of those affected by the earthquake. I hope companies and individuals will also donate at the match." He added that the players were also planning to sponsor some villages in the affected areas.