Former England fast bowler, Darren Gough and his Pakistani counterpart, Wasim Akram have decided to auction their memorabilia from cricketing days in order to raise funds to combat the coronavirus pandemic. As per the reports of ESPNCricinfo, Gough and Akram have promised items of memorabilia to be auctioned on behalf of the Centre for Disaster Philanthropy who have set up a COVID-19 Response Fund.

Akram is Pakistan’s highest wicket-taker in both Test and ODI cricket. In 104 Test matches, the legendary fast bowler took 414 wickets including 20 five-wicket hauls. In 356 ODIs, he had 502 wickets at an average of 23.52. He has pledged a signed bat and ball while Gough, England’s second-highest wicket-taker in ODI cricket, has pledged a signed ball.

Both join a long list of cricketers who have made charitable efforts to help out during the crisis, including Jos Buttler, who has decided to auction his 2019 World Cup-winning shirt.

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Ravi Bopara has decided to offer free chicken from his restaurant in London to National Health Service (NHS) staff, umpire Aleem Dar has offered free food from his restaurant in Lahore to those who have lost their jobs, and Sam Billings has offered to shop for vulnerable people in his area.

England women’s skipper, Heather Knight, and the Surrey allrounder Rikki Clarke and are among those to have signed up as NHS volunteers, while Sam Curran has launched a fundraising campaign.

Meanwhile, the IPL, which was scheduled to commence on March 29 has been postponed till April 15 and is highly unlikely to take place under the current scenario where the number of coronavirus positive cases is on the rise. is not expected to commence this month if the situation is not under control after the end of the current 21-day long lockdown imposed by the government.

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There have been more than 2,500 positive cases of coronavirus patients in India. There have been more than 70 people who have died due to the novel virus in the country. However, the IPL Franchisees are making sure that the fans get something to savor during this time.