At the end of an unforgettable five days at the Kia Oval for the final Specsavers Test between England and India, Sir Mick Jagger is donating £190,000 to Chance to Shine.

The rock star, whose father was a cricket fan and PE teacher, had pledged at the start of the match to donate £20k to the children’s charity for every century hit and five wickets taken; and £10k for every fifty and three wickets. The England and Indian players did not let him or Chance to Shine down.

Man of the moment Alastair Cook, a long time ambassador for the charity, was one of the Most Valuable Players netting a cool £30,000 for Chance to Shine with his half century in England’s first innings and memorable career closing century in the second. India’s Ravi Jadeja also brought in £30k for Chance to Shine with his impressive all-round match performance of a half century and two three-wicket hauls.

Other key contributors to Jagger’s funding pot were England’s captain Joe Root whose 125 on day 4 earned £20k for the charity. India’s KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant also added £20k with their rear guard century on the final day and debutant Hanuma Vihari with his half century and three-for.

Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jasprit Bumrah, Jos Buttler, and Ishant Sharma all produced £10k worth performances during the match.

Speaking at the end of the Test match, Jagger said, “Like so many cricket fans I’ve loved every minute of this unforgettable Test match - with Alastair Cook’s hundred the stand-out moment for me. I’ll sure miss watching him play. Hopefully the guys’ performances will inspire lots more children to take up the game and Chance to Shine will be further empowered to make it special for them.”

Skipper Joe Root thanks Mick Jagger for his support for Chance to Shine:


The England & Wales Cricket Board is also supporting Chance to Shine by match funding all donations to the charity until 30 September.

In addition, Chance to Shine supporter David Kyte from Kyte Associates was inspired to double Mick’s donations during day 4 of the Test, which included both Cook and Root’s century knocks, adding an extra £60,000 to the total.

Kyte said, “Chance to Shine is a charity that’s very close to my heart and when I heard what Mick was doing, I thought that’s a fantastic idea, it would be great to pitch in in that way too.”

The total amount raised during the game (including the funding from David Kyte) is £250,000.

Chance to Shine chief executive Laura Cordingley said, “We are overwhelmed by the generosity of Mick and, to be honest, we are still pinching ourselves! Like Alastair Cook, we couldn’t have scripted this magical match better and we are so grateful to both teams for their special efforts this week. The match funding support by Kyte Associates is the icing on the cake and the money raised will help us take cricket - and the vital life skills it teaches - to tens of thousands more children in state schools and deprived inner-city communities.”

Chance to Shine co-founder and Vice President Mark Nicholas added, “I’m pleased for Mick, his generosity has paid off in so many ways during the Test match but most specifically in the profile he has given us and the money that will benefit so many young people. We appreciate his involvement more than even he might know!”

Pivotal Players

Ali - £10k (half century)
Anderson - £10k (three wickets)
Bumrah - £10k (three wickets)
Buttler - £10k (half century)
Cook - £30k (century and half century)
Jadeja - £30k (half century and two three-fors)
Pant - £20k (century)
Rahul - £20k (century)
Root - £20k (century)
Sharma - £10k (three wickets)
Vihari - £20k (half century and three wickets)

Since 2005, Chance to Shine has given more than four million children in over 15,000 state schools across England and Wales the opportunity to play cricket. In addition, the Chance to Shine Street programme brings the game to thousands of young people in the most disadvantaged urban areas of the country. ‘Street’ uses the sport to increase aspiration, promote social cohesion and create opportunities in many diverse communities.

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