Paul Collingwood offered £75k to represent ICC World XI

Former England Coach and Zimbabwe International Andy Flower who is supposed to be picking the World XI T20I team and also coaching them for the tour of Pakistan has approached Paul Collingwood, to feature in the three-match T20I series. If reports are to be believed, Collingwood would earn as much as £75,000 for the week-long commitment.

Flower later affirmed that no decision can be made without security measures in Lahore are sorted out. The three matches will be played at the iconic Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The last piece of prominent international action which the stadium saw was Sri Lankan players being airlifted, post the terror attacks on the visitors in 2009.

Since then, countries have been sceptical to tour the country. Apart from Collingwood, Bangladesh’s swashbuckling opener Tamim Iqbal, his compatriot Shakib Al Hasan, South African players Hashim Amla and Imran Tahir have also been approached.

Collingwood sceptical about security measures

“Andy asked me if I would entertain the idea so that’s the starting point. I’ve been asked if I would be willing. But until you hear all the details of the security and everything you can’t really commit to anything. Certainly, the thing that would interest me, at 41, if I could play in a T20 international in front of that crowd, that would float anybody’s boat. The money would be a good thing of course,” quoted Paul Collingwood according to Daily Mail.

“Helping Pakistan would be a good thing. The tag of a World XI at 41, I’d be proud of that if I was to get into the team. There are two ways of looking at it. Some people worry that you need that level of security, others feel as safe as houses. Certainly, from my experience with England going back to India after the Mumbai attacks, it felt very comfortable. It wasn’t a very interesting tour, you are on lockdown, but it was 100 per cent safe,” concluded the 41-year-old, citing the example of English tour of India in 2008, post 26/11 attacks in Mumbai.