Global T20 Canada: Very excited to be part of Mississauga Panthers, says Shoaib Malik

Brampton, July 11 (IANS) The third edition of the Global T20 Canada is all set to return on July 20, following a three-year hiatus.

Hosted at the CAA Centre, here, this edition will feature six franchises. Making their debut in the marquee tournament are the Mississauga Panthers. With the former South African all-rounder Lance Klusener appointed as head coach, the squad is all set to leave an indelible impression on fans and rivals alike. 

The 16-member squad is laden with top quality players from around the globe including Chris Gayle, Shoaib Malik and James Neesham. Also competing this year alongside the Mississauga Panthers are Toronto Nationals, Brampton Wolves, Montreal Tigers and Vancouver Knights along with fellow debutants, the Surrey Jaguars

Expressing his enthusiasm on playing for the Panthers, former Pakistani all-rounder Shoaib Malik shared his excitement by stating, “I am very excited to be part of the Mississauga Panthers team, I am looking forward to the atmosphere at the stadium and all the fans that will come out to support our team”

Legends of the game from across the globe have also expressed their eagerness towards watching the highly competitive tournament unfold. One of the Caribbean's finest left handers, Shivnarine Chanderpaul joins Brian Lara as an ambassador for the competition. On his association, he said, “I am super excited to be a brand ambassador for the upcoming season of Global T20. All six teams look amazing, and the event promises to be a thriller.”

Shivnarine Chanderpaul also lauded the initiative as a platform for homegrown heroes of the game, from Canada, to rub shoulders with some the world’s finest T20 players and develop their skillset. “We have some big names across all six teams, like Chris Gayle, Harbhajan, Singh, Shahid Aridi, Shoaib Malik playing alongside some great players from Canada such as Rizwan Cheema, Pargat Singh and Saad Bin Zafar.”

The Mississauga Panthers squad mix has an enviable concoction of experience and promise. Besides the marquee icons such as Chris Gayle, Shoaib Malik and James Neesham, the squad also features promising youngsters such as the hard hitting, Azam Khan and the lethal Shahnawaz Dahani from Pakistan. Ethan Gibson features as one of the youngest players from Canada along with Nikhil Dutta, Jaskaran Singh Bhuttar and Cecil Parvez to name a few.

Mississauga Panthers: Shoaib Malik, Chris Gayle, Azam Khan, James Neesham, Cameron Scott Delport, Shahnawaz Dahani, Zahoor Khan, Tom Cooper, Cecil Pervez, Jaskarandeep Singh Buttar, Navneet Dhaliwal, Nikhil Dutta, Shreyas Movva, Praveen Kumar, Mihir Patel, Ethan Gibson