James Anderson auctions shirt, bat and wicket to raise fund for Coronavirus victims

London, April 27: England pace great James Anderson has decided to auction his autographed shirt, bat and a wicket from the last Test that he played in Cape Town to help raise funds for the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

Taking to Twitter, Anderson wrote: "We''re auctioning this lot off on eBay for @gowellfund. My shirt and stump from the last Test I played in Cape Town and my Tailender bat."

The pandemic, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has so far claimed close to two lakh lives and infected more than 28 lakh people across the world. The pandemic has led to cancellation or postponement of all sporting events, including the Tokyo Olympics.

But sportspersons from around the world have come forward to support as the world battles the unprecedented health crisis.

Recently, India captain Virat Kohli and his Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate AB de Villiers decided to auction their 2016 IPL bats, shirts and gloves online with the proceeds from that going to the needy ones.

Before the prolific RCB duo, a few English cricketers have also auctioned their cricketing memorabilia to help raise funds and fight the pandemic that has also engulfed their country.