The New Zealand pair of Luke Ronchi and Mitchell McClenaghan on Monday completed the ICC World XI line-up for the fund-raising Twenty20 International against West Indies at Lord’s on May 31.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Ronchi and fast bowler McClenaghan join a host of stars who have already confirmed their participation for the Lord’s match, which is being organised to raise funds for stadia in the Caribbean that were damaged due to hurricanes last year.
The team, to be led by England’s limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan, includes Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik (both India), Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik (both Pakistan), Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal (both Bangladesh), Thisara Perera (Sri Lanka) and Rashid Khan (Afghanistan).
“It’s a great honour to be leading a side which has a selection of players from a number of nations, and I can’t wait to get on to the field for what promises to be an engrossing contest,” World XI skipper Morgan said.
“The build-up to the event on May 31 has been very exciting with new additions announced on a regular basis, and the anticipation has been growing daily. I’m sure all the players, including those of the Windies side, are eager to play at Lord’s.
“It’s a fantastic feeling that we will be all getting together for a good cause. The cricket fraternity should be very proud that the funds raised from the match will help rebuild the stadia in the Caribbean and also contribute to the growth of the game.”
Ronchi, who turned out for Australia before returning to play for his country of birth New Zealand, has scored 1397 runs in 85 ODIs with 105 catches and 12 stumpings, while he has 359 runs in 32 T20Is with 24 catches and five stumpings.
He scored most runs in this year’s Pakistan Super League, aggregating 435 runs for Islamabad United. Left-arm bowler McClenaghan has 82 wickets in 48 ODIs and 30 in 28 T20Is.
The Windies, the reigning ICC World Twenty20 champions, are being led by Carlos Brathwaite. Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Samuel Badree and Andre Russell are among the other leading players in the squad.
The venues that will benefit include the Ronald Webster Park in Anguilla, the Sir Viv Richards Stadium in Antigua, the Windsor Park Stadium in Dominica, the Carib Lumber Ball Park in St. Maarten and the Cancryn Cricket Grounds in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.
World XI squad : Eoin Morgan (captain, England), Dinesh Karthik (India), Mitchell McClenaghan (New Zealand), Hardik Pandya (India), Thisara Perera (Sri Lanka), Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), Luke Ronchi (New Zealand), Shahid Afridi (Pakistan), Shoaib Malik (Pakistan), Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh), Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh).
