Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi will lead the ICC World XI side against Windies at Lord’s for the one-off T20 International fixture. Eoin Morgan was initially named as the captain of the side, but the left-handed batsman has pulled out following a fractured finger. The T20I takes place on May 31 and all the proceeds from the match will be used to redevelop stadiums in the Caribbean damaged due to hurricanes last year.
Following Morgan’s exit, three England players have been added to the squad. While Sam Billings will take Morgan’s place, all-rounder Sam Curran and fast bowler Tymal Mills have been drafted to the squad as well. Mohammed Shami Replaces Hardik Pandya in World XI Squad for Windies T20I.
Billings, a wicketkeeper-batsman, was recently seen in action in the Indian Premier League 2018 (IPL 2018) for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The right-hander has featured in 30 matches for England in ODIs and T20Is.
Meanwhile, Morgan suffered the injury during Middlesex's game against Somerset. The England captain was fielding at backward point when a ball hit him on the top of the ring finger on his right hand. The X-ray later revealed a crack. "It is not a bad crack but it is bad enough to keep him out of tomorrow's Middlesex game and the World XI game. It is not a huge concern, it is one we can hopefully manage past in about a week,” Andy Flower, ECB’s stand-in director, was quoted as saying by the ICC.
Updated ICC World XI squad: Shahid Afridi (C), Dinesh Karthik, Mitchell McClenaghan, Thisara Perera, Rashid Khan, Luke Ronchi, Shoaib Malik, Tamim Iqbal, Sandeep Lamichhane, Adil Rashid, Mohammed Shami, Sam Billings, Sam Curran, Tymal Mills.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 30, 2018 09:33 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).