Australian cricketing great Merv Hughes said tonight’s John Forbes Tribute Match was a chance to say thanks to an old friend.Hughes joins a list of former cricket greats including Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Mark Taylor and Ian Healy in the Twenty20 game to honour Mitiamo man and former Puma national promotions manager, John Forbes.The concept of the match was conceived by Hughes when he discovered his friend of more than three decades was battling bowel cancer.“The idea has been on the table for six months and it’s a testament or tribute to John for all the work he has done,” Hughes said.“I’ve always thought that when a mate is struggling, that you help him out and that’s what this is about.“John Forbes is just a good bloke and I wanted to do something to pay tribute to that.” Hughes was a teenager when he met Forbes more than 30 years ago.“When I was just a young kid and was getting into it John took me under me under his wing,” he said.“He had heaps of cricketers and heaps of footballers under his wing and he was just good to everyone.“He looked after so many athletes and it would have been easy to prioritise, but John never did that and looked after everyone and made everyone feel important.”Although Hughes hopes tonight’s game will be an exciting match for those who attend, he said he might struggle to make the final over.“I’m probably most looking forward to the finish of the game – I’ve been struggling with an Achilles injury,” he said.“While most of these guys in our younger days would have been poetry in motion to watch, I think a lot of us might be more like poetry in slow motion at the match.”Hughes also said he wasn’t keen to face some of the younger players on field, including some of Bendigo’s cricketing talents.“Although a few of us have gotten a bit slow, there are still guys like Adam Gilchrist and Shane Warne out there who are still playing in the IPL as well as a couple of local boys who I hear are quite fast bowlers,’’ he said. “I’m just hoping I don’t have to face one of them!”Hughes hopes tonight’s game will entertain the Bendigo crowd.“You still have a bit of pride in your performance, so we’ll all be going out there and doing our best,” he said.“At our age out best is a bit less than it used to be, but hopefully it’s a fun spectacle for those who come along.”The match starts at 5pm. Gates open at 1pm and no alcohol can be taken into the ground.