This was not the usual T20I. For starters, a World XI was playing Windies - the reigning WT20 champions. Two, a commentator stood on field while action unfolded, chatting up players between deliveries and scattering for safety when the ball came towards him. Three, a runner was allowed. Finally, and most importantly, the funds received went towards a great cause, towards rebuilding the five cricket grounds in the Caribbean that were damaged by hurricanes Irma and Maria last year.
The result? A game that was played in high spirits and with the knowledge that something significantly good was coming out of it. No, the result! Oh. Windies blew away the ICC World XI side by 72 runs, buoyed by fine knocks from Evin Lewis, Marlon Samuels and Denesh Ramdin, and superb spells from Samuel Badree and Andre Russell.
The ropes at Lord's were brought in by quite a bit. The expectations were well set. The organiser hoped for a high-scoring, adrenaline-rushing T20I that not only leave the viewers asking for more, but also rake in the money. Windies, like the seasoned T20I team it is, held its end of the bargain. Asked to bat first by Shahid Afridi, who led the side in the absence of the injured Eoin Morgan, they smashed 199/4. Evin Lewis teed off early with a sizzling half century, and despite Chris Gayle's early struggles, Windies enjoyed a strong start.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Cricket West Indies today announced Sandals Resorts as the WINDIES team sponsor for tomorrow’s charity match against the ICC World XI. The high-profile match will be played at Lord’s on Thursday, 31st May at 6pm (1pm Eastern Caribbean Time/12 noon Jamaica Time).
The announcement was made today by Johnny Grave, Chief Executive Officer of CWI, as the WINDIES arrived in London to prepare for the match. As part of the agreement for the sponsorship, the WINDIES team will have the Sandals logo on their playing and training clothing, stadium branding at Lord’s and Sky Sports broadcast sponsorship of the match.
“We are delighted Sandals have agreed to partner with us on this fundraising initiative event. Sandals is a strong Caribbean brand and global leader in the luxury travel industry,” Grave said. “This match has great significance for the people of the region and we are very grateful for Sandals’ support.”
Managing Director, Sandals, UK and Europe, Karl Thompson, says, “as ambassadors for the Caribbean, Sandals is delighted to be involved in such a prestigious event. The brand has been the pioneer of luxury hospitality initiatives for over 30 years in the region so to be able to give something back always means a great deal to everybody involved with Sandals”.
The WINDIES are reigning ICC World Twenty20 champions and two-time champions in this format. They are being led by allrounder Carlos Brathwaite and the squad includes Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Samuel Badree, Andre Russell and Denesh Ramdin.
Tickets for the match are available at https://tickets.lords.org with all proceeds going towards rebuilding and renovating five major venues as well as other community cricket facilities that were damaged by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
The venues that will benefit include Ronald Webster Park in Anguilla, Sir Viv Richards Stadium, Antigua, Windsor Park Stadium in Dominica, Cancryn Cricket Grounds, in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Carib Lumber Ball Park in St. Maarten.
Foster's Fairplay has removed its blinkers which for all these years have obscured the reality of cricket. A lesson was learnt after watching the final of the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL).
It arrived on the heels of a breathtaking performance by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), bettering 178 for six by the Sunrisers Hyderabad, posting 181 for two. Virtually batting on one leg, hobbled by a hamstring restriction, it was a Man of the Match offering by Australian Shane Watson of 117 unbeaten that steered the CSK ship into safe harbour. This shortened version has taken the game by storm, and it seems that there is no stopping its advance to top the world in excitement and entertainment.
Former West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman Jeffrey Dujon made a statement a week ago. It spoke to "the rich history of Test cricket that will keep it alive." Having been a part of this version of the game, albeit limited to being an avid fan, there was a struggle. That conflict has been blown away after the IPL final, now cast in concrete. But what was it that was delaying the conclusion that has now been reached?
The experience of listening to the West Indies 3-1 triumph in England in 1950 reigns supreme. Even at the tender age of eight, there was a clear realisation that the three Ws batting machine - Weekes, Worrell and Walcott - was cut from fine cloth. Without the speed demons who were to follow, it was the spin of Ramadhin and Valentine that mesmerised the English batsmen into a leaden-footed and highly ineffective response.
Shahid Afridi has been appointed as the captain of the ICC World XI side that will play against the Windies at Lord’s on Thursday after Eoin Morgan was ruled out after suffering a finger fracture in his right hand.
The injury also means Morgan will miss Middlesex’s match against Hampshire in the Royal London One-Day Cup 2018 on Wednesday, but is expected to be back in action well before the ODI series against Australia starts on 13 June at The Oval.
Afridi said he was overwhelmed to have been appointed captain of the World XI.
Shahid Afridi: “It’s a great honour to be leading the ICC World XI side, that too for such a good cause. I’m sure all the players from either side are looking forward to the match with great enthusiasm and people will get to see some high-quality cricket on Thursday.”
Meanwhile, Sam Billings has been named as the replacement for Morgan. The 26-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman from Kent, who has played 13 ODIs and 17 T20Is for England, said he was thrilled at the prospect of playing in the 31 May match.
“This is an opportunity to play along with and against some of the leading players from the world over. I’m looking forward to the match with great interest and hope to put up a good performance in a match I’m sure will provide the crowds with lots of entertainment,” said the 26-year-old.
Meanwhile, Tymal Mills has replaced Mohammed Shami, who has been unable to travel to London, while Sam Curran has also been drafted into the squad which now includes four players from England, two each from New Zealand and Pakistan, and one each from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
All proceeds from the Lord’s match will be used to redevelop the stadia in the Caribbean, which were damaged due to hurricanes last year.
ICC World XI - Shahid Afridi (captain) (Pakistan), Sam Billings (England), Sam Curran (England), Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh), Tymal Mills (England), Dinesh Karthik (India), Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), Sandeep Lamichhane (Nepal), Mitchell McClenaghan (New Zealand), Shoaib Malik (Pakistan), Thisara Perera (Sri Lanka), Luke Ronchi (New Zealand) and Adil Rashid (England)
ST JOHN’S, ANTIGUA - Digicel has reached an agreement to end to its sponsorship relationship with Cricket West Indies one year early following a successful 13-year partnership.
Dominic Warne, Director of Commercial, Marketing and Communications for Cricket West Indies, commented; “On behalf of everyone at Cricket West Indies, I would like to thank Digicel for their fantastic support over the past 13 years. It has been a great and successful partnership for both Cricket West Indies and Digicel. We are now primed to take on a number of new initiatives as part of our recently announced strategic plan to make cricket the heartbeat of the Caribbean. We hope to make an announcement on our new long-term Principal Partner soon.”
Digicel Group CFO, Raymond Leclercq, comments; “Over the years, we have been very successful in forging sponsorship partnerships with the things we know our customers love most. This approach has helped us to grow the Digicel brand to be the number one brand in the region and to make a lasting impression on our customers. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Cricket West Indies for 13 years of amazing partnership and for the opportunity and privilege of helping to bring the fun, thrill and excitement of the game of cricket to a wider audience and in new and engaging ways. We wish Cricket West Indies all the best for the future and will be cheering the teams on from the stands as passionate fans of the game of cricket in the Caribbean.”
