West Indies vs ICC World XI: 5 player battles to look out for

With the 2018 IPL done and dusted, the action moves to the Mecca of Cricket - Lord's - for the one-off T20I between West Indies and the ICC World XI on Thursday which is being organized for raising funds for stadiums in Dominica and Anguilla that were damaged by hurricanes in September 2017.

World XI skipper Eoin Morgan was ruled out of the contest after fracturing his finger while playing for Middlesex during the Royal London One-Day Cup contest against Somerset on Sunday.

Shadid Afridi will take over as skipper while Morgan has been replaced with England teammate Sam Billings while Tymal Mills and Sam Curran has also been added to the squad on standby.

For West Indies, the match sees the return of several of its senior players, who missed the 3-match T20 series against Pakistan in April due to security reasons, as well as Andre Russell, who will be representing West Indies for the first time since he was banned for a doping-code violation in January 2017.

The contest has been granted international status by the ICC and hence both teams will be out in full swing tomorrow to prove their mettle tomorrow and with a unique side such as the ICC World XI in the fray, the match promises to throw up several interesting battles involving players from the two sides.

Let's have a look at the 5 key player battles that could decide the outcome of the upcoming contest.

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#5 Marlon Samuels vs Mitchell McClenaghan

Marlon Samuels makes a return to the West Indian side along with several other key players after opting out of the 3-match T20 series against Pakistan at the start of April 2018 due to security reasons and the Caribbean side badly missed the veteran's experience in the middle order.

Whether a wicket falls early on or he decides to play the sheet-anchor role for the side, one player Samuels is almost certain to face should he be included in the playing eleven is Mitchell McClenaghan.

The New Zealand pacer rarely bowls in the death overs nowadays as he is often brought back in the middle overs to complete his quota of four overs after his customary opening spell in the powerplay overs.

The left-arm seamer is likely to enjoy bowling at Lord's and the extra pace and bounce could make life uncomfortable at the crease for Samuels but bet the experienced batsman to come up with a proper response.

#4 Mohammad Shami vs Carlos Brathwaite

Carlos Brathwaite impressed during the few opportunities he got in the IPL

Another player who will be making a comeback of sorts with the T20 game between ICC World XI and West Indies is Indian fast bowler Mohammad Shami who has been bogged down by personal matters which have clearly had a major impact on his on-field performances as well.

He was also involved in a minor road accident ahead of the 2018 IPL and featured in only four matches for Delhi Daredevils in the tournament with his last appearance coming on April 2016.

Having been named as the replacement for Hardik Pandya in the side, Shami is expected to feature in the playing eleven and will be the go-to man for Shahid Afridi in the powerplay overs as well as the death overs.

West Indies possess a number of big-hitters in their lower order, including skipper Carlos Brathwaite who showed during the IPL the damage he can do in very little time.

That's where Shami will have to do a good job for the ICC World XI, minimizing the run-flow in the death overs from the likes of Brathwaite, Russell and Rovman Powell.

#3 Andre Russell vs Shahid Afridi

The T20 contest at Lord's on Thursday will be a highly significant one for all-rounder Andre Russell who will be making his return to international cricket for the first time since he was banned for a doping-code violation in January 2017.

Russell batted well in the IPL without being terrific and it is no secret that he prefers to face the fast bowlers than spinners when he is out in the middle.

World XI skipper Shahid Afridi will no doubt be aware of this fact and is likely to take the responsibility on his own shoulders in order to provide a certain level of uncertainty for the big-hitting West Indian.

Afridi might not turn the ball much but he has the ability to get the ball under the bat and for someone who plays cross-batted, it is a very good quality to possess.

The two could have a face off on the other side of the equation as well with Afridi facing off against Russell as has been the case many times in the past in the Carribean Premier League and the Big Bash and it promises to be yet another intriguing contest between the two all-rounders.

#2 Shoaib Malik vs Samuel Badree

Samuel Badree will be the key player for West Indies with the ball

Pakistan had an easy outing in the three-match T20 series against a weakened West Indies side as they welcomed international cricket back to their home county with a whitewash over the reigning World T20 champions.

Like many of his fellow teammates, Shoaib Malik had an excellent series against the Carribeans. Though he faced just 21 balls over 3 games, he was at his destructive best, scoring 54 runs with the bat while also picking up 2 wickets in the only match he bowled.

With the West Indies bowling attack featuring a number of players who are new to the international level, skipper Carlos Brathwaite should be looking at holding back his best bowler - spinner Samuel Badree - for the middle overs rather than using him in the powerplay overs like they often do.

The ICC World XI features a number of Asian batsmen, including Malik, who are good against spin bowling and Badree will have to be at the top of his game and produce an excellent spell with the ball as the leader of the pack as far as the bowling is concerned.

#1 Rashid Khan vs Chris Gayle

Rashid Khan has unfinished business with Chris Gayle after being taken apart by the latter during the IPL

Rashid Khan had an excellent IPL 2018 campaign proving exactly why he is ranked, the No 1 T20 bowler in the world.

He was exceptional with the ball throughout the campaign and had very few off days like the one game against Kings XI Punjab where he was taken apart by Chris Gayle, conceding 55 runs from his four overs.

It was Rashid's most expensive figures in a T20 game with Gayle accounting for 42 of them. The West Indian had later claimed that he specifically targetted Rashid as he wanted to show "who the universal boss was,"

The 19-year-old proved his mettle with a match-winning performance of 3/19 in the reverse fixture a week later but fans were deprived of the battle between Gayle and Rashid with the latter facing only one delivery from the leg-spinner before he was dismissed.

The fixture between West Indies and World XI though presents a battleground for the resumption of the Gayle vs Rashid feud and with the latter keen to get even with the burly West Indian, the stage is set for an excellent contest between the two.

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Do you think there will be other player battles that will decide the outcome?