Sanath Jayasuriya appeals for more aid to help rebuild Sri Lanka © Getty Images Enlarge

World Vision (Australia) have pledged $500,000 to Sri Lanka Cricket's fundraising appeal called Cricket-Aid, which will provide emergency relief to 1000 tsunami victims in the short term and also house 200 families in four `Cricket Villages' in the long term.

World Vision, the ICC's official charity for their tsunami appeal, was approached by Sri Lanka Cricket and agreed in principle to the donation pending the receipt of a full proposal. The funds are being raised from television rights, gate receipts and memorabilia sales.

Cricket-Aid, supported by Sri Lanka's cricketers, was launched on Wednesday by the cricket board with a $25,000 donation from the Emirates Cricket Board. The aim is to raise $2 million over the coming weeks.

Relief camps are being set-up in Dambulla, Matara and Badulla to provide shelter to those displaced by the disaster. Plans are also underway for the development of four `Cricket Villages' in Killinochi and Ampara in the east, Matara in the south and Kalutara in the west.

But Muttiah Muralitharan and Sanath Jayasuriya have appealed for even more donations to help rebuild their devastated country. Muralitharan, who will make his comeback from shoulder surgery in the fundraising match at the MCG, told reporters on Sunday: "There are millions of people homeless. [Their homes] need rebuilding - that's the most important thing. If they don't have houses, they can't live."

Jayasuriya lost his family home in Matara - one of the designated Cricket Villages - which is 60 miles south of Colombo. "People who were there at the market: most of them died," he said. "The house, the walls have gone, inside things have gone. We will have to rebuild again. People have lost their houses, lost their loved ones. It's a very sad thing for our country. We need help from the international community coming and giving choppers and getting the food to the people."