Steve Smith would feature in Canada T20 league
What's the story
Australian cricketer Steve Smith will make a comeback to cricket as he was named a marquee player in the Canada T20 League. The proposed global T20 tournament is set to kick off from June 28. The suspended player was given permission by Cricket Australia to feature in domestic tournaments outside the country. Besides Smith, fellow Aussie David Warner could also play a part.
New league
All you need to know about Canada T20 League
The tournament will consist of six teams. Five teams will represent Canadian cities and one will be from West Indies that will feature players from the Caribbean. This comes after the league tied up with Cricket West Indies to promote the sport. The five Canadian outfits are Edmonton Royals, Montreal Tigers, Toronto Nationals, Vancouver Knights and Winnipeg Hawks.
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Who are the marquee players?
Besides Smith, the likes of global T20 superstars such as Chris Lynn, Shahid Afridi, Sunil Narine, Lasith Malinga, Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Chris Gayle, David Miller and Dwayne Bravo are the other marquee players.
Details
Player draft to take place on May 31
The tournament will see a draft take place on May 31. There is said to be four roster spots set aside for Canadian players that will consist of one U-23 national. 22 matches will be played in the tournament with the final likely to be held on July 16. Maple Leaf Cricket Club is set to host all the matches.
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Canada is 1st associate nation to launch global T20 league
This is the first instance where an associate nation of the ICC is launching a global T20 league. This, in turn, will foster growth of the game and also develop players. The league is surely going to draw a lot of Canadian spectators.