Millions of dollars are expected to be generated by the cricketing fraternity to help support the victims of the tsunami disaster that has devastated thousands of lives in several countries across the Indian Ocean.

The world's top cricketers have agreed to play two one-day matches in Australia and Asia to raise funds for the purpose.

The first game will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on January 10 between an ICC XI and an Asian XI while the second one-dayer will be played some time in February or March at a venue to be decided later by the Asian Cricket Council.

ICC team: 1 Ricky Ponting (Aus), 2 Matthew Hayden (Aus), 3 Adam Gilchrist (Aus), 4 Stephen Fleming (NZ), 5 Brian Lara (WI), 6 Chris Gayle (WI), 7 Chris Cairns (NZ), 8 Shane Warne (Aus), 9 Glenn McGrath (Aus), 10 Dwayne Bravo (WI), 11 Darren Gough (Eng), 12 Daniel Vettori (NZ).

Coach/manager: Steve Waugh (Aus).

The Asian XI, consisting of players from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, will be announced later.

Ehsan Mani, the ICC president, said that the enormous goodwill across the cricket-playing world had made the matches possible at such short notice. "Like the rest of the world, the international cricket community is shocked at the scale of the devastation caused by this disaster."

In addition to these fundraising initiatives, several individual cricketing nations have undertaken to make sizeable donations to the disaster. These include £120,000 (approx US$230,000) donated by the Indian board, Aus$34,000 (US$26,500) donated jointly by the Australian Test team and Cricket Australia, and £20,000 (US$38,300) from the England team and its players’ association. The Indian team will also donate their payments from a forthcoming one-day international to the Indian Prime Minister’s Relief Fund, while the Bangladesh Cricket Board has pledged the gate receipts from its upcoming series against Zimbabwe, estimated at $10,000, to relief efforts.

The West Indies team for the VB Triangular Series in Australia left the region last Wednesday evening. The tri-nation tournament includes Pakistan along with the hosts Australia and the West Indies. The first game for the West Indies will be against hosts Australia on January 14 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The WI squad is led by Brian Lara and includes:Shivnarine Chanderpaul (vice captain), Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo, Ryan Hinds, Courtney Browne, Ian Bradshaw, Xavier Marshall, Pedro Collins, Mervyn Dillon and Reon King. The manager is Anthony Howard and coach is Bennett King.

This will be the first assignment for the team since the West Indies won the ICC Champions Trophy event last September in England and it will also be the first time the team plays under the guidance of King.

Before leaving for Australia, King said he would be looking for consistency from his charges. "They have already proven they can beat any side in the world," he said.

King said there was "no better way" to start his international coaching career than to compete against the best team in the world.

The itinerary for the VB Series:

JANUARY

14th: (day/night), Australia v West Indies, Melbourne Cricket Ground

16th: Australia v Pakistan, Hobart

19th: Pakistan v West Indies, Brisbane Cricket Ground

21st: (day/night) Australia v West Indies, Brisbane Cricket Ground

23rd: (day/night), Australia v Pakistan, Sydney Cricket Ground

26th: (day/night), Australia v West Indies, Adelaide Oval

28th: Pakistan v West Indies, Adelaide Oval

30th: Australia v Pakistan, W.A.C.A. Ground, Perth

FEBRUARY

1st: Pakistan v West Indies, W.A.C.A. Ground, Perth

4th: (day/night) VB Series 1st Final, Melbourne Cricket Ground

6th: (day/night), VB Series 2nd Final, Sydney Cricket Ground

8th: (day/night), VB Series 3rd Final (if req),

Adelaide Oval.

India suffered a minor setback in their visit to Bangladesh. After winning the two test series, and later the first of the three one dayers, they lost their first game. In the second one dayer, the home side came out on top to shock their visitors. However, India wrapped up the tour by taking the final one dayer.

Summarised Scores

First Test, Dhaka

Bangladesh 184 & 202 v India 526

India win by an innings and 140 runs

Second Test, Chittagong

India 540 beat Bangladesh 333 & 124 by an innings & 83 runs

First One-Day International, Chittagong

India 245-8 (50 overs) v Bangladesh 234-8 (50 overs) India won by 11 runs

Second One-Day International, Dhaka

Bangladesh register stunning win by 15 runs.

Bangladesh 229-9

India 214.

Third one-day international, Dhaka

India 348-5 ( 50 overs)

Bangladesh 257-9 (50 overs)

India won by 91 runs

India win series 2-1

South African Jacques Kallis, on the strength of his splendid hundred against England last week, has replaced West Indies captain Brian Lara as the world number two in the PricewaterhouseCoopers ranking for Test batsmen.

Kallis stroked 162 in the first innings of South Africa’s drawn second Test that ended in Durban on Thursday and is now rated second, behind India’s Rahul Dravid, who keeps the top spot.

Lara is down one place to number three, followed by Australian Damien Martyn who has climbed to fourth - his best ever rating, ahead of three other Australians in the top ten, Ricky Ponting (6th), Matthew Hayden, who is joint seventh with India’s Sachin Tendulkar, and Justin Langer (9th).

India’s Virender Sehwag is listed at fifth.

There are four West Indies players in the batting top 25 - Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul (21st), Ramnaresh Sarwan (24th) and Chris Gayle (25th).

In the bowling rankings, there was no change at all in the top-10 placings, leaving Australian Glen McGrath still number one, ahead of Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar.

Barbadian pacer Pedro Collins - ranked 22nd - is the only West Indian in the top-25 bowlers’ list.

It looks like another whitewash. This time it is the visiting Pakistanis who are at the receiving end. Australia have won the first two tests against them in convincing manner. With two days left to play, and with Australia in a commanding position after the third day of the final Test, it seems that the series may close at 3-0.

Australia 381 & 361-5 dec.; Pakistan 179 & 72

Australia beat Pakistan by 491 runs.

Australia 379 & 127-1; Pakistan 341 & 163.

Australia win by nine wickets.

Australia 568: Pakistan 304 and 67 for 1