The one-off T20I match between West Indies and an ICC World XI on 31 May 2018 at Lord's is a special fundraiser from which all the money raised will go to the restoration of the grounds in the Caribbean decimated by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The World XI will be captained by Eoin Morgan and feature players from India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Not only will the game, which is taking place on 31 May 2018 at Lord's, have international status and will be broadcast live, it will also feature several members of World T20-winning West Indies side from 2014 including Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels. All the money raised from the game will go to the restoration of cricket grounds in Dominica and Anguilla, both of which were badly hit in September 2017.
Several cricketers, who are currently playing in IPL 2018 will also feature in this game. The 11th edition of the IPL gets over on May 27 and the players taking part in it are expected to join with the rest of the squad shortly afterwards. The game has been arranged by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) along with help from Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and Cricket West Indies (CWI) and has the complete support of the International Cricket Council (ICC), which has granted this match a T20I status.
The initiative will infuse a fresh lease of life to Dominica's Windsor Park and Anguilla's James Ronald Webster Park in Anguilla. Speaking about the reason behind organizing the one-off T20I, ECB chairman Colin Graves said: "To have two category 5 hurricanes in the space of two weeks was unprecedented and everyone around the world was shocked by the destruction which was caused. The ECB and CWI have always enjoyed a fantastic relationship and we are keen to support them and the people of the Caribbean in this fundraising initiative."
West Indies will be led by their T20I captain, Carlos Brathwaite. They announced a strong squad for the game that will also see the return of all-rounder Andre Russell after his 12-month suspension, which elapsed in February.
Along with the returning Russell, West Indies will also have the destructive opening pair of Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis to call upon. There are also a few other players who missed the Pakistan series but have been a regular fixture in the Windies T20I and ODI sides. Denesh Ramdin will be the keeper for the side that will also have the experience and explosive hitting of Marlon Samuels and Andre Fletcher to call on.
The ICC World XI team, was supposed to be led by England's limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan but will now be led by Shahid Afridi. It will also see two Indian players in Mohammed Shami and Dinesh Karthik and also feature the No.1 ranked T20I bowler in the world in Rashid Khan. It will also see the return of Shahid Afridi to international cricket for just this game.
Sandeep Lamichhane, Mohammed Shami and Adil Rashid were the latest addition to the World XI side that will take to the field at Lord's on May 31.
West Indies Squad - Carlos Brathwaite (C), Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Denesh Ramdin (WK), Rayad Emrit, Andre Fletcher, Samuel Badree, Andre Russell, Ashley Nurse, Evin Lewis, Keemo Paul, Kesrick Williams, Rovman Powell
World XI Squad - Tamim Iqbal, Shahid Afridi (C), Shoaib Malik, Sam Billings, Dinesh Karthik, Luke Ronchi (WK), Thisara Perera, Sam Curran, Rashid Khan, Mitchell McClenaghan, Sandeep Lamichhane, Mohammed Shami, Adil Rashid, Tymal Mills
