Jayawardene, Afridi to be most experienced players at 2015 World Cup

Dubai: Veteran Sri Lankan batsman Mahela Jayawardene and Pakistan’s seasoned all-rounder Shahid Afridi will be the two most experienced cricket players going into the 2015 World Cup, with their fifth appearance in the mega event, an International Cricket Council (ICC) release said Friday.

Both Jayawardene and Afridi, first played in the 1999 World Cup in England and since then have appeared in all editions. They were named in their respective team's 30-member provisional squads.

Pakistan’s Javed Miandad and India’s Sachin Tendulkar, with six appearances in the World Cup, share the record for the most appearances at the cricketing extravaganza.

The ICC also released the provisional squads of the 12 teams for next year's competition, to be held in Australia and New Zealand, with Australia and Ireland refraining from releasing the provisional list although they submitted 30 names to the parent body within the stipulated deadline.