World XI vs WI, Only T20I, Preview: Home of Cricket set to host the superstars for a social cause

Tthe funds raised from this encounter will be used to redevelop stadia in the Caribbean which were damaged due to the hurricanes last year.

Published - 30 May 2018, 14:22 IST | Updated - 30 May 2018, 14:22 IST

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The World Champions in the shortest format of the game will lock horns against the World XI in a charity game at Lord’s on Thursday. The match is being played for a good cause as the funds raised from this encounter will be used to redevelop stadia in the Caribbean which were damaged due to the hurricanes last year. The World XI squad is comprised of some of the best cricketers and the encounter is expected to go down the wire. However, the crowd is also in anticipation of the game as the Lord’s is expected to be jam-packed on Thursday.

Windies will be honoured to play at the iconic Stadium and will be the favourites considering their record in T20Is. They are the two-time champions and are extremely strong when it comes to the shortest format. The team possess some of the fierce cricketers in the line-up and will be led by Carlos Brathwaite. It will be interesting to see how they fare as most of them have just joined after plying their trade in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL).

The ICC World XI has gone through a lot of changes in the last few days as a few players pulled out due to various reasons at the eleventh hour. But the look of the team is exciting and most importantly, the cricketers from India and Pakistan will share the same dressing room. They will surely give a tough fight to the team from the Caribbean islands. Shahid Afridi will lead the side after Eoin Morgan got injured while playing in the County game a couple of days ago.

Team Combination

World XI

Shahid Afridi will lead a talented bunch of cricketers and it will be a tough call for him to take while picking the playing XI. Tamim Iqbal and Luke Ronchi will open the innings as the likes of Shoaib Malik, Dinesh Karthik and Sam Billings will bat in the middle-order. Thisara Perera and Afridi are the two all-rounders in the team as Rashid Khan, Sandeep Lamicchane and Mitchell McClenaghan will look after the bowling duties.

Sam Curran might get the nod ahead of Shami and Mills in the playing XI as the Indian fast bowler struggled in the IPL and the latter has not played much in the lead up to this game. Curran has been playing in the ongoing One-Day Cup and has performed decently which will work in his favour.

Probable XI: Tamim Iqbal, Luke Ronchi (wk), Shoaib Malik, Dinesh Karthik, Sam Billings, Shahid Afridi (c), Thisara Perera, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Lamichhane, Mitchell McClenaghan, Sam Curran

Windies

It goes without saying that Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis will open the innings for Windies as they form one of the dangerous pairs in the world. Andre Fletcher will follow them as the T20 veteran Marlon Samuels will take up the responsibility to bat at number 4. Denesh Ramdin is set to don the gloves as the wicketkeeper with Andre Russell and Carlos Brathwaite to come down the order.

Windies look thin on the bowling front as Kesrick Williams is the only proper pace bowler in the line-up as Ashley Nurse and Samuel Badree will look after the spin bowling department. They also have Russell and Brathwaite who will have to bowl their quota of overs with Samuels also likely to roll his arm over.

Probable XI: Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Andre Fletcher, Marlon Samuels, Rovman Powell, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Andre Russell, Carlos Brathwaite (c), Ashley Nurse, Samuel Badree, Kesrick Williams

Focus will be on

Shahid Afridi (World XI)

Shahid Afridi will be playing his first international game after more than 2 years and no wonder all eyes will be on him during this encounter. He is an explosive batsman and is loved by the fans all over the world. He recently played for Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and was in great form with the ball in hand. Though he struggled with the bat, Windies would not make a mistake of writing him off in that aspect of his game as well. He is an inspirational leader and no doubt a lot will depend on how he handles the team.

Chris Gayle (Windies)

The Universe Boss loves to rise to the occasion and he will be bracing up to lit up the Lord’s. He will open the innings for his team and should be able to give a good start up front. Also, his battle with Rashid Khan will be interesting as he had pummelled the leggie in the IPL recently. Gayle struggled to find form in the second half of the cash-rich league and he will be itching to hit the straps in this fundraiser. The batting of the Caribbean looks strong but the presence of Gayle means Windies threaten to gun down any kind of total on their day.

StatAttack

3 – Shahid Afridi needs only 3 wickets to become the first bowler to complete 100 wickets in the T20 Internationals.

1 – If Sam Curran plays, he will be the first player to make his international debut in a combined team which includes cricketers from other nations (Asia XI, Africa XI, World XI)