Warne, Hamilton and Djokovic make major donations to Australia bushfire appeal

Shane Warne, Lewis Hamilton and Novak Djokovic are among a growing number of global sport stars to have made major donations to the Australia bushfire appeal.

Former Australia cricketer Warne has raised funds by auctioning his famous baggy green cap and announced the winning bid was 1,007,500 Australian dollars (£525,000).

Six-time Formula One world champion Hamilton said on Twitter he was “pledging $500k to support the animals, wildlife volunteers and rural fire services”.

Meanwhile, world number two Djokovic has matched fellow tennis ace Maria Sharapova’s donation of 25,000 Australian dollars.

Huge parts of south-east Australia have been ravaged by fires, with 27 people killed and more than 2,000 homes destroyed.

Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has pledged to donate 200 Australian dollars for every ace he serves at all the tennis tournaments he enters in January.

Other Australian tennis players Alex De Minaur and John Millman have followed Kyrgios’ lead by offering to donate 250 and 100 Australian dollars respectively for every ace they hit during the month.

Fellow Australian Ashleigh Barty, the current world number one, promised to donate all of her prize money from last week’s Brisbane International tournament and went on to lose in the final.

Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and Roger Federer will help raise funds by playing in a series of exhibition matches on January 15, five days before the Australian Open.

Kyrgios, Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, Japan’s Naomi Osaka and Dane Caroline Wozniacki will also take part in the Melbourne fundraiser.

Another Australian, Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo, will raffle his race suit from this year’s Australian Grand Prix to help bushfire victims.

Brighton goalkeeper Mat Ryan has promised to donate 500 Australian dollars for every save registered by Premier League goalkeepers this weekend.

Over a billion animals have been reported to have died in the bushfires and the 27-year-old Australia international said the money will go to WIRES, the Australian Wildlife Rescue emergency fund.

American mixed martial artist Jorge Masvidal, the UFC welterweight champion, has pledged to donate all the proceeds from his visit to Australia in February and said on Twitter he plans to help firefighters tackle the blazes himself.