Apart from the 37-year-old Afridi, who last month officially announced his retirement from international cricket to end months of speculation about his playing future, Bangladesh’s Habibul Bashar, Ian Bell of England, Shane Bond of New Zealand, Australia’s Mike Hussey, India’s Harbhajan Singh, Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka and Graeme Smith of South Africa were named as ambassadors with exactly 50 days to go before the first ball will be bowled in the opening game between England and Bangladesh at The Oval.