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Arjuna-Warne to meet at Charity dinner?
Two of world crickets bitter rivals, Sri Lanka's Arjuna Ranatunge and Australia’s Shane Warne, are expected to meet each other face to face this week when the Australian leg spinner visits the island to get a first hand look at the devastation that was caused by the tsunami and participate in a fund raising dinner.

World test crickets highest wicket taker Shane Warne’s visit to the island follows the dialogue he had with Muttiah Muralitharan when the duo met in Melbourne and New Zealand last month during the charity limited over games that were played to raise funds for the tsunami victims.

Shane Warne who made his test debut in Sri Lanka in 1992 is expected in the island on Tuesday and will tour the South of the country and visit the Galle International Stadium which was also destroyed. The Stadium holds a special place for Warne as he picked up his 500th wicket there. The leg spinner is expected to visit Seenigama, the village of Muralitharan's manager Kushil Gunasekera which was also destroyed by the tsunami. Infact Muralitharan himself who had a narrow shave from the tsunami was on his way to Seenigama on that fateful day along with his fiancée Madhimalar when he turned back halfway and escaped.

Warne's visit is being coordinated by the Ceylon Tourist Board which is also hosting a charity dinner on the 10th (Thursday) to raise funds for victims of the tsunami. The Sunday Times learns from reliable sources that tickets for the charity dinner have been priced at ten thousand rupees each and will be limited to only five hundred as the two celebrity stars Warne and Murali are both in the 500 wicket club. An exclusive souvenir will also be given to all participants at the charity dinner.

The organizers expect to raise millions from the dinner and donate it towards the Muralitharan-Vaas -Gunasekera Foundation and Sahanaya which is another approved charitable organization. Former Sri Lanka Captain Arjuna Ranatunge who is now the deputy Minister of Tourism is also expected to grace this event and meet his long standing cricket rival Shane Warne. Arjuna and Warne have never seen eye to eye on the field and have even cast public statements detrimental to each other in the media on numerous occasions.

Shane Warne’s visit to the island is sponsored by one of Australias leading television channels,Channell Nine and a large contingent of media personnell are expected to cover the Australian’s visit to the island.

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