In a throwback to the 1970s, matches between combined teams are back in fashion and players from Asia and Africa will lock horns in three one-day internationals next week.
The Afro-Asia Cup matches in South Africa -- to be played in Centurion on August 17 and in Durban on August 20 and 21 -- are the third time this year combined team contests have been granted official status by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
January's tsunami benefit game between a World XI and Asian XI in Melbourne was the first to be sanctioned by the ICC and a Super Series between a Rest of the World XI and world champions Australia is set to take place in October.
Pakistan coach and former England cricketer Bob Woolmer, who played in the 1970s when mixed team games were most popular, supports such competitions.
"I know when I played for the Derrick Robins XI against the South Africans in the 70s the matches were played at full intensity," he told Reuters.
"It has all been a bit rushed but the ICC is trying to keep cricket on the world map, so it would seem the composite team matches of the '70s are coming back into fashion."
Former South African all-rounder Mike Procter said players liked taking part in matches without the pressure of representing their countries.
"When I played for the Rest of the World in 1970, my captain was Garry Sobers and it's like a breath of fresh air for the world's top players to be able to play in the same side rather than against each other like they normally do."
NOTABLE ABSENTEES
The Afro/Asia series -- the brainchild of former ICC president Jagmohan Dalmiya -- is ostensibly a fund-raising initiative to help grassroots development of the sport in each continent.
Those set to make an appearance next week include South Africans Graeme Smith, Shaun Pollock and Jacques Kallis, who currently tops the
A powerful Asian team includes Pakistan's Inzamam ul-Haq, India's Virender Sehwag and Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka.
Leading Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar and Sri Lankan fast bowler Chaminda Vaas are among the notable absentees from the Asian line-up. Makhaya Ntini, Herschelle Gibbs and Andre Nel will be absent from the Africa XI.
While most cricketers do not have a problem playing in such contests, the ICC's decision to grant the matches official status has caused some irritation.
"I can't say I'm as excited about it as I would be if I was playing for South Africa," said Kallis.
NOT RIGHT
"It's just another game of cricket, like a pre-season warm-up, because it's obviously not strength versus strength.
"I don't think it's right that the matches should have official status.
"Even the matches between the Rest of the World and Australia, which I'm really looking forward to, should not count for the records because it's not one country playing another."
Procter, who now serves as an ICC match referee, disagreed.
"It's the best players up against each other, so there'll be tremendous pride at stake and I'm sure the intensity will be really strong," he said.
The hastily arranged tsunami game in January attracted 70,000 spectators to the Melbourne Cricket Ground and was broadcast in 122 countries with an estimated global television audience of one billion.
The success of the match convinced the ICC there is a demand to see players from different nations compete in mixed teams.
But the thought of a powerful Asian batting line-up scoring 400 against a weakened African bowling attack or Lara taking wickets, which would count in the official records, may prove hard to swallow.
