Cricketers attempt Everest record

The cricketers will have to face freezing temperatures

A group of British cricketers hope to set a world record for playing a cricket match at the highest altitude on the slopes of Mount Everest.

The 18 professional and amateur players will attempt to break the record on the Gorak Shep Glacier which is 5,184 metres (17,000 feet) above sea level.

County players Nick Compton, Graham Napier, Mark Wagh, Ryan Cummins and Steve Patterson will all take part.

The aim is to raise funds to assist other cricketers in times of hardship.

Three teams organised by the Professional Cricketers' Association will play six-a-side matches of five overs each.

Andrew Baud, PCA spokesman, said the attempt would begin Monday.

"They are taking 40 spare balls up there - I can imagine they will need them," he told the AFP news agency.

"At normal altitude it would take about an hour, but it can get as low as minus 13C, so it may take around two."