The International Cricket Council [ Images ] sent out a message of thanks to all those who contributed in some way or the other to the World Cricket Tsunami Appeal match in Melbourne [ Images ] which has already raised nearly Rs 50 crore and more expected from an on-line auction.

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ICC [ Images ] President Ehsan Mani said the cricket world had shown tremendous unity in staging a major fund raising match within two weeks of the disaster that hit the Asian coastline on December 26.

"Sports has the power to make a positive difference and I have been heartened by the way in which cricket has united across political divides to raise millions of dollars for the World Cricket Tsunami [ Images ] Appeal," Mani said in a statement in London [ Images ].

The charity match yesterday saw a capacity crowd of 71,101 gather at the Melbourne Cricket Ground besides a few millions who watched the action 'live' on television across 122 countries.

An on-line auction, which began yesterday, is expected to add to the fund already generated from the match. Signed match-worn T-Shirts and the coin used for toss are among the items up for auction which would conclude on Tuesday.