Aussie legends, Dhoni headline charity match

India ODI skipper MS Dhoni will join Australian Test greats Matthew Hayden and Damien Martyn in pulling out his bat for a good cause this month.

The trio will join a host of current and past players for the inaugural ‘Cricket for Heroes’ Twenty20 charity match at The Oval on September 17.

Dhoni, who retired from Test cricket following last year’s Boxing Day Test against Australia, is the latest player to join the all-star line-up for the clash.

While he has stepped away from Test cricket, Dhoni remains the captain of India’s ODI team and helmed the Chennai Super Kings in the 2015 edition of the Indian Premier League.

“I am delighted to be joining so many cricketing superstars and supporting such a worthy cause,” he said.

“I’ve always enjoyed playing cricket in England and I would urge all sports fans to support Help for Heroes on September 17 and watch some truly world class performers in action.”

Dhoni and Martyn will represent the Help for Heroes XI, captained by England Director of Cricket Andrew Strauss and featuring the talents of Herschelle Gibbs, Virender Sehwag, Graeme Swann and Shahid Afridi.

They will take on a Rest of the World XI captained by New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum and featuring the likes of Hayden, Mahela Jayawardene, Brian Lara, Dan Vettori and Graeme Smith.

The inaugural Cricket for Heroes match is aiming to raise funds for the UK charity Help for Heroes, which supports those injured in the armed forces and their families.

Current players committed to the match include McCullum, Pakistan T20 captain Afridi, Black Caps quick Tim Southee and Afghanistan’s Shapoor Zadran, who won many fans during the World Cup for his exuberant celebrations.

Hayden is also set to strap on the pads in Perth in December for a match featuring members of Australia’s golden era, joining Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting, Justin Langer and Andrew Symonds to form part of a Legends XI that will take on Perth Scorchers during the WA Festival of Cricket.

Provisional Teams

Help for Heroes XI: Andrew Strauss, Herschelle Gibbs, Virender Sehwag, MS Dhoni, Damien Martyn, Lieutenant Commander Jonathan Parker, Corporal Jake Wray, Shahid Afridi, Graeme Swann, Simon Jones, Matthew Hoggard, Darren Gough 

Coach: TBC; Manager: Sir Ian Botham    

Rest of the World: Brendon McCullum, Matthew Hayden, Graeme Smith, Mahela Jayawardene, Major Storm Green, Brian Lara, Abdul Razzaq, Scott Styris, Dan Vettori, Tim Southee, Shapoor Zadran

Coach: Gary Kirsten; Manager: Sunil Gavaskar