Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne have been confirmed as captains in this year’s MCC v Rest of the World match at Lord’s. Tendulkar and Warne, who are both Honorary Life Members of the Club, will lead the MCC and Rest of the World teams respectively in the Lord’s Bicentenary 50-over celebratory match on 5 July.
The rest of the participating stars will be revealed at the Lord’s Bicentenary launch on Wednesday.
MCC’s XI will be managed by Club President Mike Gatting and will also include Tendulkar’s former India teammate Rahul Dravid. Overseeing the Rest of the World XI will be ex-South Africa all-rounder and MCC World Cricket committee member Shaun Pollock.
England Women’s captain Charlotte Edwards will lead the MCC side in the women’s MCC v Rest of the World match on 19 May. MCC Women’s XI will be dominated by England players past and present including the first female Wisden Cricketer of the Year, Clare Taylor. The International Cricket Council will be selecting the Rest of the World Women’s side; the first time this has happened in the international women’s game.
The captains were announced by Mike Gatting at the Lord’s Bicentenary launch event on Wednesday 5th February in the Lord’s Long Room, which hosted over 200 guests including MCC Members, local residents and MCC corporate partners. Also unveiled at the event were the Club’s plans for celebrating the 200th anniversary of the current Lord’s ground throughout the whole of 2014.
This will be the second time Tendulkar has appeared at Lord’s in such a fixture, having captained the Rest of the World side – scoring a majestic century in the process – in the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Match in 1998.
- stewartmorris / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND
Sachin Tendulkar said: “It is an honour to be asked to captain MCC in such a prestigious fixture, and I am delighted to accept. Lord’s is such a special place to play cricket and I am very much looking forward to helping celebrate its bicentenary by taking part in this match. I was delighted to be presented with an MCC Honorary Life Membership in 2010, and it will be a privilege to play at the Home of Cricket once again.”
MCC President Gatting, who scored a century in an MCC v Rest of the World Unofficial Test Match at Lord’s in 1987, said: “Lord’s is so well revered around the world and these matches will be hugely memorable occasions. MCC is very grateful to have been able to secure players of the calibre of Sachin Tendulkar, Shane Warne, Rahul Dravid and Charlotte Edwards to take part in them. This news is an exciting start to the Lord’s Bicentenary celebrations, and we are expecting to announce many more big names in the coming weeks.
“An awful lot has changed in cricket over the last 200 years but one thing has remained constant: the standing of Lord’s as the Home of Cricket. This great ground has been my home from home for the last 40 years and it means a great deal to be personally involved in the celebration of its bicentenary year.”
Shane Warne, who took 19 wickets in four Tests at Lord’s, said: “I always enjoy playing at Lord’s and as an Honorary Life Member of MCC I’m really excited about coming back. I’m sure the match will be a lot of fun and it will be a pleasure to be part of the bicentenary celebrations of the most famous cricket ground in the world.”
Tickets for both men’s and women’s MCC v Rest of the World matches are on sale now from www.lords.org/tickets or by calling 020 7432 1000.
James Buttler
As the editor of World Cricket Badger he is intent on building the website to give quality coverage of the domestic game around the world.
He is also the presenter of the Cricket Badger Radio Show on Radio Yorkshire every Tuesday evening between 7-9pm UK time.
James was the full-time Media Manager at Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 2007 and 2010.
James is a published author, a writer/video contributor to many cricket publications and a complete cricket badger!
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