First-ever MCC v Europe fixture, in Rotterdam

Date released: 28 June 2006

A strong MCC side - likely to include two players from Afghanistan - will play a combined European team tomorrow (Thursday 29th June), at the VOC Cricket Club in Rotterdam.

The match will be the first-ever fixture between Europe and Marylebone Cricket Club - which was founded in 1787.

The encounter has been promoted by Robin Marlar (see right) - the Club's President. As well as being keen for MCC to strengthen its role in promoting cricket across the continent, he wanted to aid the development of players from the European countries - Scotland, Ireland and the Netherlands - which have qualified, through the ICC Trophy, for next year's ICC World Cup.

The match will do so by pitting them against an MCC side that will be selected from a squad including Chris Cairns (the former New Zealand Test all-rounder), John Stephenson (the former England batsman, now MCC's Head of Cricket), Rob Turner (the ex-England 'A' wicketkeeper / batsman) and two very promising young Afghan players, Mohammed Nabi and Hamid Hassan (who, on returning from the Netherlands, will become MCC Young Cricketers).

Mohammed and Hamid first came to the Club's attention when they excelled, in March, in the historic MCC v Afghanistan match in Mumbai. Mohammed scored an undefeated century against MCC's attack, while Hamid impressed MCC's batsmen (who included Mike Gatting, the former England captain) with his pace bowling skills. Both have recently toured England with the Afghan Cricket Federation, which won five of its six games - including those against the second elevens of Glamorgan, Essex and Leicestershire.

For the one-day match against MCC in Rotterdam, Europe's squad will include four Scottish players (including Craig Wright, who will captain the team), three from Ireland and two from the Netherlands (including Daan van Bunge, an ex-MCC Young Cricketer). The side's wicket-keeper will be Denmark's Freddie Klokker (another former Young Cricketer), who has played for Warwickshire this season.

Two of the squad's other players, Lee Savident and Jeremy Frith, are from the Channel Islands - which was awarded ICC Affiliate Member status only last year.

Commenting on tomorrow's match, Robin Marlar said: "I am delighted that this initiative is about to come to fruition. This first-ever MCC v Europe fixture will be both an historic and a very important cricketing encounter. Three countries represented - Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands - will be involved in next year's World Cup. All three are ambitious to achieve one-day international and ultimately Test status. Their current feeling is that, without a professional structure, which none can currently sustain, such elevation will be difficult. Perhaps, and this is the issue that they must now face, they might be able to advance faster as a collective unit. For myself, I hope they pursue that route and that this match will be played on an annual basis - perhaps next year at Lord's."

He continued: "Tomorrow's match will also provide us with another welcome opportunity to assess Mohammed Nabi and Hamid Hassan who will be joining MCC, at Lord's, in the near future. So far, the more we have seen of them, the more impressed and excited we have been."