Amla excited to be part of World XI’s Pakistan tour

The successful hosting of the PSL final at Lahore earlier this year gave the PCB enough confidence to schedule a T20 series against the World XI in collaboration with the International Cricket Council.

The World XI, which will play three Twenty20 internationals from Tuesday, arrived around 2am with air surveillance and dozens of police vans in attendance as the team was whisked to their hotel.

South African Test skipper Faf du Plessis will be leading the World XI squad.

The historic three-match T20 series will be overseen by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) along with others as PCB expects this would pave the way for the country to host tours of Sri Lanka and West Indies later this year.

South African skipper Faf du Plessis, who will lead the World XI side touring Pakistan in the upcoming three-match T20 series, has said the worldwide players in his team will be playing for something bigger than the game itself.

He said it was his great desire to play before the home crowds, especially in front of his family, and the same is about to be fulfilled. “Looking back on my career it’ll be great to say that I made an impact on bringing global cricket back to Pakistan“. Only Zimbabwe visited the country in 2015 for a T20 worldwide series. He played in the 2008 Asia Cup and was part of the Pakistan squad when Zimbabwe toured the country in 2015.

The World XI will take on Pakistan in the first T20 match of the three-match tour today in the Gadaffi Stadium, Lahore.

On the other hand, the World XI side will look to get its combination right as Du Plessis will have to choose his playing XI from a list of superstar cricketers.

“The shorter format is something I’m still passionate about, so I may as well keep doing it”, he said. “This is a very proud moment for me and for all those players who have been selected in this team”, the captain added, as he expressed hope that following the Independence Cup, regular series would be played in the country.

“This series could not have been better timed”, another former test captain and fast bowler Waqar Younis said. This ICC approved eleven or World XI will be coached and managed by former England head coach Andy Flower.

Hashim Amla, Tamim Iqbal, Tim Paine are the top-order specialists in their lineup while the middle-order will comprise the likes of Du Plessis, David Miller, Grant Elliott and George Bailey.