Help for Heroes XI: Shahid Afridi recruited by British Army

Pakistan T20 captain will be participating in a charity T20 match to help injured and sick British army officers

Pakistan T20 captain Shahid Afridi is now a British Army recruit, well, not literally, but he will be a part of the team Help for Heroes XI which will compete against Rest of the World XI for raising charity.

Afridi will be a part of the team which will be captained by England Director of Cricket Andrew Strauss and managed by Sir Ian Botham. Meanwhile, Indian captain MS Dhoni and batsman Virender Sehwag and former South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs will also be part of the team, reported Sky Sports.

The Rest of the World XI which will compete in the T20 fundraiser match will be coached by South African batsman Gary Kirsten and managed by Sunil Gavaskar. It will include New Zealand’s hard-hitting captain Brendon McCullum, former Australian left-hand batsman Mathew Hayden, Sri Lankan right-hand batsman Mahela Jayawardene and former Proteas captain Greame Smith.

The inaugural ‘Cricket for Heroes’ fundraiser will be held at the Kia Oval in London on Thursday. The money will be used to support British soldiers who are sick, injured or wounded. Of all the money raised, 30 per cent will be donated to overseas charities after approval from the invited players.

The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, David Cameron and Secretary of State for Defence, Michael Fallon will host the cricketers at a welcome reception and charity dinner in honour of the foundation.