Afridi to lead ICC World XI against WIndies as injury rules out Morgan
May 29 (CRICKETNMORE) - Shahid Afridi has been appointed as the captain of the ICC World XI side that will play against the Windies at Lord’s on Thursday after Eoin Morgan was ruled out after suffering a finger fracture in his right hand.
The injury also means Morgan will miss Middlesex’s match against Hampshire in the Royal London One-Day Cup 2018 on Wednesday, but is expected to be back in action well before the ODI series against Australia starts on 13 June at The Oval.
Afridi said he was overwhelmed to have been appointed captain of the World XI.
Shahid Afridi: “It’s a great honour to be leading the ICC World XI side, that too for such a good cause. I’m sure all the players from either side are looking forward to the match with great enthusiasm and people will get to see some high-quality cricket on Thursday.”
Meanwhile, Sam Billings has been named as the replacement for Morgan. The 26-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman from Kent, who has played 13 ODIs and 17 T20Is for England, said he was thrilled at the prospect of playing in the 31 May match.
“This is an opportunity to play along with and against some of the leading players from the world over. I’m looking forward to the match with great interest and hope to put up a good performance in a match I’m sure will provide the crowds with lots of entertainment,” said the 26-year-old.
Meanwhile, Tymal Mills has replaced Mohammed Shami, who has been unable to travel to London, while Sam Curran has also been drafted into the squad which now includes four players from England, two each from New Zealand and Pakistan, and one each from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
All proceeds from the Lord’s match will be used to redevelop the stadia in the Caribbean, which were damaged due to hurricanes last year.
ICC World XI - Shahid Afridi (captain) (Pakistan), Sam Billis (England), Sam Curran (England), Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh), Tymal Mills (England), Dinesh Karthik (India), Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), Sandeep Lamichhane (Nepal), Mitchell McClenaghan (New Zealand), Shoaib Malik (Pakistan), Thisara Perera (Sri Lanka), Luke Ronchi (New Zealand) and Adil Rashid (England)
ICC Media Release