Lara and Ganguly take on Pakistanis at Lord's
Brian Lara and Sourav Ganguly will represent MCC in the Club's first ever Twenty20 fixture at Lord's, against the touring Pakistanis, on Sunday 27th June.
The Pakistanis - making their first appearance on their summer tour of England - will be led by Shahid Afridi, returning to the Home of Cricket for the first time since his match-winning performance at the ICC World Twenty20 Final in 2009.
Lara, the former West Indies captain and master batsman, appears for MCC for the first time. Ganguly, the former India captain and dashing left-handed batsman, is the current leader of Indian Premier League team, Kolkata Knight Riders.
Also confirmed to play for MCC in their inaugural Twenty20 match at Lord's are: Chaminda Vaas, the Sri Lankan opening bowler; Ian Harvey, the Australian limited-overs specialist; Aiden Blizzard, the hard-hitting Victorian batsman; and Glenn Querl, a current MCC Young Cricketer who is impressing for the Unicorns in domestic cricket.
John Stephenson, MCC Head of Cricket, has been instrumental in selecting the home team:
"MCC is delighted to welcome to Lord's a Pakistani side who have a proven track record in Twenty20 cricket. Shahid Afridi's men will face an exciting MCC team comprising world class performers and up-and-coming talent. Brian Lara is one of the finest batsmen to have ever played the game and Sourav Ganguly is a world-leading Twenty20 cricketer. The match will provide spectators with a fantastic opportunity to see wonderful cricket and great cricketers."
Tickets for the MCC v Pakistanis Twenty20 match at Lord's are on sale now, priced £20 for adults and £5 for Under 16s. They can be bought from
http://www.lords.org/ticketsor by calling the MCC Ticket Office on 020 7432 1000.
The Twenty20 match forms part of the sponsorship agreement between MCC and the Pakistan Cricket Board which will see Pakistan play Australia in the MCC Spirit of Cricket Test and Twenty20 Series in England throughout July. It is the first time that MCC has sponsored international cricket in its 223-year history.
