ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi alongside many present and former world-class players from across the cricketing world will feature in a charity match at The Oval on Sept 17 called Cricket for Heroes.

The swashbuckling all-rounder will also be joined by India’s M.S. Dhoni and Virender Sehwag for the fundraising match for Help for Heroes, the charity organisation based in the UK, according to a report on www.cricket.com.au.

The Help for Heroes team will be led by former England captain Andrew Strauss and besides the trio from sub-continent will be featuring the talents of a host of present and retired players.

They will take on a Rest of the World XI captained by New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum and featuring the likes of Matthew Hayden, Mahela Jayawardene, Brian Lara, Daniel Vettori and Graeme Smith.

The inaugural Cricket for Heroes match is aiming to raise funds for the UK charity Help for Heroes, which supports those injured in the armed forces and their families.

Current players committed to the match include McCullum, Afridi, Black Caps quick Tim Southee and Afghanistan’s pacer Shapoor Zadran, who won many fans during the World Cup for his exuberant celebrations.

Provisional teams:

HELP FOR HEROES XI: Andrew Strauss, Herschelle Gibbs, Virender Sehwag, M.S. Dhoni, Damien Martyn, Lt Commander Jonathan Parker, Corporal Jake Wray, Shahid Afridi, Graeme Swann, Simon Jones, Matthew Hoggard, Darren Gough.

Ian Botham (manager).

REST OF THE WORLD: Brendon McCullum, Matthew Hayden, Graeme Smith, Mahela Jayawardene, Major Storm Green, Brian Lara, Abdul Razzaq, Scott Styris, Dan Vettori, Tim Southee, Shapoor Zadran.

Gary Kirsten (coach); Sunil Gavaskar (manager).

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2015

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