Some of the biggest names in international cricket history are set to come together for a new legends tournament at Edgbaston this summer.
The World Championship of Legends (WCL) – which has now been sanctioned by the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) – will consist of retired and non-contracted players from England, India, Pakistan, Australia, West Indies and South Africa.
The WCL has been developed by Zabawa Entertainment, a Bollywood film and music media production company based across India and Dubai.
They are in advanced contract talks with stars of world cricket from the 1990s and 2000s, including former national captains and record breaking bowlers and batters.
Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who famously hit Stuart Broad for six 6’s in an over in 2007; Shahid Afridi, who scored one of the fastest ODI centuries (37 balls) of all time; and England’s Kevin Pietersen are among the names lined up to play in the T20 competition.
Harshit Tomar, Director of Zabawa Entertainment, is the man behind the exciting project.
He said: “The retired players concept has been great. We are doing it in a more professional way and on grander scale.
“It’s fantastic the ECB has sanctioned the competition. Today’s announcement solidifies WCL’s position as a premier platform for retired cricketing champions and opens new avenues for the league’s growth and global impact.
“We want to deliver great sports entertainment to fans across the globe. And the prospect of epic clashes between India v Pakistan and England v Australia – featuring great players from the past – is one to savour.”
The tournament is scheduled to start in the first week of July and conclude with the final at Edgbaston on 13 July.
The proposal would see bigger group games and final played at Edgbaston with the remaining games played at grounds around the region.
Stuart Cain, Chief Executive at Edgbaston, added: “It’s an exciting proposition and one that will rekindle some of the fiercest, most entertaining rivalries in international cricket.
“We’ve staged some of the biggest games in world cricket and it will be great to see some of the heroes involved in those games back at Edgbaston.
“I’m sure it will be hugely popular among cricket fans. But obviously we want to ensure it doesn’t detract from producing good quality wickets here and will have minimum impact on our existing fixture commitments.
“We’ll continue to work closely with the organisers and the ECB.”
Additional tickets released for first three days of West Indies Test
A small number of tickets have been released for the first three days of our Men’s Test against West Indies this summer (26-30 Juy).
Tickets are limited for these day and are expected to sell quickly. Early Bird tickets for Day Four are still available if purchased before midnight on 31 March.
