West Indies to play Rest of the World XI in a T20I at Lord's
West Indies will take on a Rest of the World XI in a T20 match at Lord's on May 31 to raise money after Hurricanes Irma and Maria decimated the grounds in the Caribbean. All the proceeds from the game will go towards the restoration of the cricket grounds in Dominica and Anguilla, which were badly hit by the quick succession of Hurricanes in September 2017.
The game will have an international status and will be broadcast live. Players from both India and Pakistan are likely to play in the same team in the one-off T20I. With the IPL concluding on May 27 and India not set to play an international until their one-off Test against Afghanistan in Bengaluru on June 14, Indian players are expected to be available for selection. Pakistan are already in England for their two Test tour.
Players from South Africa, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand are also expected to be available as none of those countries are involved in an international encounter a week before or after the scheduled date of the T20I.
The only two teams involved in an international series in that period are England and Pakistan, who are playing in a two-Test series. The second Test begins on June 1, so the Test players from either side are unlikely to be available.
The game itself has been arranged by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), with help from the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and Cricket West Indies (CWI). Dominica's Windsor Park and James Ronald Webster Park in Anguilla suffered extensive damage during the 2017 hurricanes.
ECB chairman Colin Graves said: "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. 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."
Cricket West Indies president Dave Cameron said: "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.
"I would like personally to thank MCC for agreeing to host the match at Lord's, and ECB, especially their President Giles Clarke, for their kind and generous support of this initiative. I am sure the match will be highly entertaining and competitive, as well as a great platform for us to raise much-needed funds."