New Delhi: South African batsman Faf du Plessis has been announced as the captain of the World XI team that is slated to tour Pakistan for a three-match T20I series in September. The 14-member squad that includes players from seven different countries, was announced early this evening. Zimbabwean legend Andy Flower will be the coach of the team.
It will be for the first time in nine years that Pakistani cricket fans will have a season to rejoice. On Tuesday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed the the proposed series. World XI will kick-start the tour in September, followed by a visit by the Sri Lankan team for a T20I series and then the West Indies side flying to the nation in November.
The World XI team consists of four other South African players – Hashim Amla, Morne Morkel, David Miller and Imran Tahir. Three players will be from Australia – George Bailey, Ben Cutting and Tim Paine; two from West Indies – Samuel Badree and Darren Sammy. Apart from these, there are former England batsman Paul Collingwood, Bangladeshi batsman Tamim Iqbal, Kiwi cricketer Grant Elliot and Sri Lanka's Thisara Perera in the squad.
The team will be mentored by former Zimbabwe cricketer Andy Flower and the squad will travel to Dubai for a seven-day training camp before they board the flight for the series, that would kick-off from September 10.
World XI squad: Faf du Plessis (capt), Hashim Amla, Samuel Badree, George Bailey, Paul Collingwood, Ben Cutting, Grant Elliott, Tamim Iqbal, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Tim Paine, Thisara Perera, Imran Tahir, Darren Sammy
