JOHANNESBURG - There are no South African players in an ICC World XI that will play in a fund-raising Twenty20 International against the Windies at Lord’s on May 31.
Luke Ronchi and Mitchell McClenaghan were the final two names in the World XI side, to be led by Eoin Morgan. Ronchi, the wicket-keeper batsman, and McClenaghan, the left-arm paceman, joined a host of big names in the team
Apart from Morgan, the set-up has Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya (India), Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik (Pakistan), Thisara Perera (Sri Lanka), Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh) and Rashid Khan (Afghanistan).
The fixture has been given international status by the ICC, with the proceeds set to go towards the restoration and renovation of five venues in the Caribbean.
“It’s a great honour to be leading a side which has a selection of players from a number of nations, and I can’t wait to get on to the field,” said Morgan.
“I’m sure all the players, including those of the Windies side, are eager to play at Lord’s. It’s a fantastic feeling that we will be all getting together for a good cause.
"The cricket fraternity should be very proud that the funds raised from the match will help rebuild the stadia in the Caribbean and also contribute to the growth of the game.”
The Windies, the reigning ICC World T20 champions, will be led by Carlos Brathwaite, with the side full of big-ticket T20 stars like Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Samuel Badree and Andre Russell.
World XI squad:
Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Mitchell McClenaghan, Hardik Pandya, Thisara Perera, Rashid Khan, Luke Ronchi (wk), Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal.