Sydney: Former Australian cricket captain Allan Border is to emulate England Test legend Ian Botham by undertaking a charity walk from Sydney to Brisbane later this year.
Border said on Wednesday he would walk 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) from the Sydney Cricket Ground to Brisbane's Gabba ground to raise money for sick and disadvantaged children. He will leave here on October 8 and arrive at the Gabba during a break in play at the first Ashes Test between Australia and England on November 7. Border, 47 this month, said he had wanted to embark on the journey for some time but had not been able to during his cricket career and now was the perfect time. "With the Poms being in Australia and maybe with Beefy (Botham) coming along and helping out in some way, shape or form, it's finally being brought to fruition," Border said. "Certainly Botham has been the inspiration." Former England all-rounder Botham has made several marathon charity walks across Britain, the last one being a 229-mile hike across Wales to raise money for building a children's hospital. Border, an Australian selector, said the walk may mean he would not be directly involved in picking the team for the first Test. Border said he had discussed the issue with his fellow selectors and the Australian Cricket Board when asking for permission to undertake the walk. "They're happy to cover my requirements as far as watching games leading up to the first Test. Whether I get involved in the whole selection process I'm not 100 per cent sure yet," Border said.
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