Bailey sends brutal warning in new role

Hobart Hurricanes duo George Bailey and Tim Paine won't be featuring in the KFC Big Bash finals this season but there's a silver lining for those wanting to see the pair in action again.

Instead of preparing for Saturday night's final, Bailey and Paine will instead be the two standing umpires on Friday night in 'Ricky's Biggest Game of Cricket' – a massive celebrity clash between Australian Football League (AFL) clubs North Melbourne and Hawthorn featuring a host of legends.

For their part, the two Tassie reps reckon Kangaroos tragic Ricky Ponting – who is behind the project as a means of raising funds for the Ponting Foundation and handed them the job of officiating – could be asking for trouble.

"It's a very brave call I reckon – we haven't had much success against those two sides for the last few years," said Bailey, who is a keen Carlton supporter in the AFL.

Paine agreed, before declaring he wouldn't be tolerating much backchat from either side.

"Close enough is going to be out," he told cricket.com.au. "I think I'm a pretty good umpire – being a wicketkeeper.

"I'm normally right on the money, and (if) I don't think the umpires have been getting much right, I let them know.

"(But) if I get any abuse back, blokes will be sent off."

The match, played this Friday night (January 27) from 7pm at University of Tasmania Stadium in Launceston to raise money for the Ponting Foundation, will feature AFL luminaries from both clubs, such as recently-retired 'Roos veteran Brent 'Boomer' Harvey and Hawks three-time premiership-winning captain Luke Hodge, as well as cricketers John Hastings (coach) and Peter Siddle.

"Does Boomer get a runner? Does Hodgey need a runner?" Bailey asked Paine as the two chatted with cricket.com.au.

"It's a bit like the Cricket Australia theory I reckon – Boomer's too old.

"If I'm too old to play in the Australian team then Boomer's definitely too old, so he might be out first ball."

Paine said the question of leadership could be a dicey one for the Hawks, with Jarryd Roughead also a contender to take on the role.

"Hodgey or Roughy – who's going to captain the Hawks?" he asked. "There's going to be some internal conflict, and there's lots of little stories in this game, so it's going to be interesting."

Bailey said the fact that the spotlight might be anywhere other than on their officiating was a good thing "considering we have no experience and we're just there to watch our heroes play a game of cricket".

"And I can't concentrate for very long, so I'm every chance to wander off at square leg," he added. "And counting up to six is an issue as well."

The match will be live streamed exclusively on cricket.com.au and the CA Live app.

All proceeds from the game will be distributed by the Ponting Foundation to its cancer and health-related projects, with a crowd in excess of 15,000 expected.

Tickets for the match can be purchased from www.ticketmaster.com.au or direct from Ticketmaster outlets, while hospitality packages are available from www.pontingfoundation.com.au/rickys-biggest-game-cricket.