ICC World XI vs Windies 2018: Five Windies Players to Watch Out For
Dec 31, 2018 at 1:58 PM
The 2016 World T20 Champions, Windies will square off against a star-studded World XI team in a fund-raising T20 game at Lords on Thursday (May 31).
Meanwhile, the proceeds will go into the rebuilding of the Carribean stadiums damaged due to Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria in September last year. The two stadiums damaged due to the hurricanes are Ronald Webster Park and Dominica’s Windsor Park.
The Caribbeans will look set things right against World XI on the day, more so because of the manner in which they lost their last T20 series to Pakistan and New Zealand. Moreover, they had to play the Qualifiers to qualify for the ICC World Cup next year.
It will be an enthralling experience with both teams having some quality players in their ranks. On that note, let us take a look at five Windies players to watch out for:
Chris Gayle
The big-hitting left-hander had a brilliant stint in his IPL 2018 campaign with the Kings XI Punjab. However, he still showed he has a lot of hitting prowess in him and that he is capable of ripping open any bowling attack.
Meanwhile, after wreaking havoc with his willow in the domestic T20 leagues across the globe, Gayle will be rearing to don the maroon of his national side against the World XI.
Moreover, it will be an interesting contest between him and the likes of Mohamed Shami, Adil Rashid, and Rashid Khan on the day.
Samuel Badree
The spearhead of the Windies spin-bowling attack, Samuel Badree, will be the vital cog to their success against the World XI at Lords.
Samuel Badree, who had a spell of indifferent performances in the T20I against Pakistan in April, will want to get his form back before the upcoming series against Sri Lanka.
Moreover, his spell will be crucial against right-handed batsmen like Sam Billings and Dinesh Karthik on Thursday. He will have to adjust to England pitches quickly to contain the World XI batsmen.
Evin Lewis
The left-handed batsman will be happy to be back in the national side for the exhibition game.
Meanwhile, Lewis had a fairly decent IPL campaign with the Mumbai Indians this year, especially in the start of the tournament.
He amassed 382 runs in 13 games for the defending Champions through the season, impressing one and all with his powerful batting performances.
It will be interesting to see how he tackles the conditions in England against the quality bowling line-up of the World XI.
Carlos Brathwaite
Carlos Brathwaite will lead the current T20 champions against the ICC World XI. He will be one of the most important players for Windies against a top-notch side.
He came into his own in the latter part of his IPL 2018, as he hammered the balls ferociously.
However, it was the swashbuckling batting from Brathwaite that powered the Caribbeans to the World T20 title against England back in 2016.
His all-round performance will be crucial to his team’s chances against Shahid Afridi and Co. at Lords on Thursday.
Andre Russell
This all-rounder had an impressive season with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. Andre Russell will be desperate to continue that when he returns to his national side.
Russell has recently come out of the one-year ban imposed on him for doping violation. He will be rearing to put those months behind him and start afresh against the World XI.
He will now take on his IPL skipper Dinesh Karthik for Windies on Thursday and will be interesting to see how he performs in challenging conditions.
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