All you need to know about the Windies vs World XI match
On 31 May, Windies will play a Twenty20 International match against ICC World XI, an iconic match to be played very fittingly at the home of cricket, Lord's. The reigning ICC World T20 champions will take on a star-studded World XI side comprising cricketers from as many as eight nations in a bid to raise funds for a cause that is very crucial to not only the Caribbeans but the entire cricketing fraternity.
Reason behind the match
Ronald Webster Park in Anguilla, Sir Viv Richards Stadium in Antigua, Windsor Park in Dominica, AO Shirley Recreation Ground in BVI and Carib Lumber Ball Park in St Martin – will now be refurbished with the funds from the one-off Twenty20 International match between ICC World XI and the Windies at Lord’s on 31 May.
"To have two category 5 hurricanes in the space of two weeks was unprecedented and everyone around the world was shocked by the destruction which was caused," Colin Graves, the ECB chairman, said on February 14, 2018, when the fixture was initiated. "The ECB and CWI have always enjoyed a fantastic relationship and we are keen to support them and the people of the Caribbean in this fundraising initiative."
"Hurricanes Irma and Maria have devastated parts of the Eastern Caribbean and we have been considering how CWI can best show support for our region in the most impactful way," CWI president Dave Cameron said on the same occasion urging the world to get behind the victims of the calamity in the way they know best, ergo, cricket.
Titled, Hurrican Relief T20 Challenge, the financial proceeds from the staging of the much-anticipated premium match will go in the restoration efforts. This will not be the first time that an ICC World XI will take field to develop a philanthropic cause, in 2005 it played an ODI against an Asia XI side in the World Cricket Tsunami Appeal and in 2017, it played the Independence Cup in Pakistan to welcome back full-fledged international cricket into the country after a nearly decade-long hiatus.
Where to watch?
The match will be broadcast on Sky Sports on May 31, 2018 starting GMT 16:00 onwards.