Shakib, Tamim named in ICC World XI

Sports Desk: Bangladeshi all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and top order batsman Tamim Iqbal have been named in the World XI side that will face West Indies in a lone T20I match on May 31 at Lord’s.

The match is being organised to raise funds for the reconstruction of stadiums that were damaged in the Caribbean Islands last year by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Participation of the Bangladesh pair of Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan was confirmed by the ICC on Monday. They will be joined in the ICC World XI by top-ranked T20 leg-spinner Rashid Khan of Afganistan, Pakistan's Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik, and Sri Lanka all-rounder Thisara Perera.

England limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan will lead the squad.

More big names are expected to be included in the ICC World XI squad very soon.

Asked about joining the World XI, Tamim Iqbal said, “Cricket is a sport which unites people, bridges gaps, and in which players and teams support each other.”

This match is a testament to this statement and I am delighted to have been chosen to once again represent the ICC World XI for a cause which will only make cricket a bigger and better sport, he added.

The West Indies squad is led by Carlos Brathwaite, and includes players such as Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels and Samuel Badree. The match will also mark the international return of Andre Russell following a year-long ban for a doping-code violation.

The West Indies team: Samuel Badree, Carlos Brathwaite (capt), Rayad Emrit, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Ashley Nurse, Keemo Paul, Rovman Powell, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels and Kesrick Williams.


risingbd/Dhaka/April 23, 2018/Aminul/AI