COVID-19: Jos Buttler to auction World Cup final shirt to raise funds

London, April 1: England batsman Jos Butter has announced that he will putting the shirt -- which he wore in the 2019 World Cup final -- on auction in order to raise funds for two London-based hospitals amid the coronavirus outbreak.

On July 14 last year, England had managed to beat New Zealand on account of superior boundary count rule at the iconic Lord's to clinch their first-ever men's 50-over World Cup title.

Buttler posted a video on his Twitter handle and said: "I'm going to be auctioning my World Cup Final shirt to raise funds for the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals charity. Last week they launched an emergency appeal to provide life-saving equipment to help those affected during the COVID-19 outbreak."

In wake of the ongoing crisis, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has also decided to help the medical staff by providing them parking space available at the Lord's Cricket Ground. In a statement, the MCC said it has also decided to provide storage areas for the Wellington Hospital in the UK.

"MCC has currently provided 75 parking space at Lord's for staff at Wellington Hospital, University College Hospital, and the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth. We are also providing storage areas for the Wellington Hospital – which is situated very close to the ground," said MCC.

Earlier, England Test captain Joe Root, in an open letter addressed to the British public, stressed on the importance of team work as a society in their fight to defeat the coronavirus pandemic which has swept the world off its feet.

"Social distancing may mean that we can't come together in a physical sense, but our strength lies in our communities coming together to help one another," he said.

More than 25,000 confirmed coronavirus cases have been reported so far in the UK while over 1,500 people have lost their lives.