Shahid Afridi to lead World XI against Windies at Lord's

Shahid Afridi to lead World XI against Windies at Lord's

Pakistan’s former captain Shahid Afridi will lead the ICC World XI against the West Indies at Lord’s on May 31, in place of England’s Eoin Morgan who withdrew due to a fractured finger.

Afridi took to Twitter to show his enthusiasm about leading the World XI team.

“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,” he posted.  

All the proceeds from the match will be used to redevelop the stadiums in the Caribbean, which were damaged due to hurricanes last year.

Previously, some media reports had raised suspicions over Afridi's participation in the match due to an injury he sustained during Pakistan Super League earlier this year. However, the all-rounder had confirmed his presence via Twitter later in the day saying, "I feel strongly to support this as a cricketer & Muslim."

The cricketing star had said that he was following the rehabilitation plan given to him by his doctor.

"My Allah recommends to help people in need with all the power I have," Afridi had said.

Morgan sidelined for 7-10 days

England’s ODI captain Eoin Morgan has been sidelined for 7-10 days, meaning he should be fit to play in England’s one-day international against Scotland at Edinburgh on June 10.

The Scotland clash is followed by five ODIs against Australia next month.

"It’s not a huge concern, it´s one that hopefully we can manage past about a week when the swelling goes down," Morgan said.

"It's not fractured into the joint, which is a really good result. I´ll be fine for the one-dayers.

"I will hopefully be back for one more Middlesex game, potentially two. We will wait and see."

Andy Flower, the England and Wales Cricket Board's stand-in director, said on the ICC's official website: "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."

ICC World XI vs West Indies 

The World XI squad includes one player each from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, and two players each from New Zealand and Pakistan.

Apart from Afridi, Shoaib Malik will also be a part of the ICC World XI.

Earlier, India fast bowler Mohammed Shami replaced all-rounder Hardik Pandya in the ICC World XI squad.

The Windies, the reigning ICC World Twenty20 champions, will be led by Carlos Brathwaite. 

Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Samuel Badree and Andre Russell are among the other leading players in the squad.