LONDON, CMC – Pacer Mohammed Shami has replaced fellow Indian star Hardik Pandya, for Thursday’s Hurricane Relief Twenty20 against West Indies at Lord’s with England leg-spinner Adil Rashid also added to the International Cricket Council World XI squad.
Exciting all-rounder Pandya, one of two Indians in the World XI, has been ruled out with a viral infection.
Shami, 27, has played 30 Tests, 50 one-dayers and seven Twenty20 Internationals, and is coming off a stint in the just-concluded Indian Premier League for Delhi Daredevils.
He has taken 68 wickets from 65 T20s.
The 30-year-old Rashid, meanwhile, is a seasoned campaigner, having taken 170 wickets from 152 T20s.
He will join fellow England star Eoin Morgan who will lead the squad, which also includes Pakistan batsman Shoaib Malik, New Zealand left-armer Mitchell McClenaghan and Nepalese 17-year-old spin sensation Sandeep Lamichhane.
West Indies will be led by Carlos Brathwaite who came out on the losing end for Sunrisers Hyderabad in Sunday’s IPL final against Chennai Super Kings.
The Caribbean side will also include superstar opener Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis and all-rounder Andre Russell, all of whom campaigned in the recent IPL.
Proceeds from Thursday’s T20 International will go towards the renovation of stadia in the Caribbean damaged by the passage of Hurricanes Irma and Maria last September.
WORLD XI – Eoin Morgan (captain), Shahid Afridi, Tamim Iqbal, Dinesh Karthik, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Lamichhane, Mitchell McClenaghan, Shoaib Malik, Thisara Perera, Luke Ronchi, Adil Rashid, Mohammed Shami.
