TORONTO, Canada, CMC – The Global T20 League, which has featured West Indies-like stars Kieron Pollard, Chris Gayle and Andre Russell, will be moved to Malaysia for the third edition this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions here.
The governing body, Cricket Canada, said the decision was made following discussions with the Malaysian Cricket Association and the tournament owners, Bombay Sports. Canada’s most populous region, Ontario, which is home to the tournament, entered a new round of locks this week following a surge in COVID-19 cases.
“Cricketers and cricket fans in Canada will naturally be disappointed that this year’s third edition of a world-class GT20 tournament cannot be held in Canada because of the ongoing COVID pandemic and Canadian health guidelines,” said Cricket Canada president Rashpal Bajwa.
“However, Cricket Canada fully understands and supports our health authorities. We are also very positive in looking forward to hosting the tournament in Canada, once the pandemic has been completed sufficiently and the safety of all concerned can be assured.
“In the meantime we are now very excited to share with all Canadians and cricket lovers around the world that our good friends at the Malaysian Cricket Association have stepped in to help us host GT20 Season 3 this year in Malaysia with the necessary local health approvals.
“We look forward to a very exciting third edition of Canada’s GT20 in Malaysia.” The tournament is expected to bowl from June to July and will feature six teams clashing over 22 games over 18 days at the Kinrara Oval in the capital Kuala Lumpur.
Each team will consist of ten international cricketers and two world-class marquee players, plus three Canadian and emerging local players. Malaysia reported 1,139 new infections on Wednesday, leaving the number of active cases at 14 097.
The tournament was first staged in 2018 at Maple Leaf Cricket Club in Ontario when Vancouver Knights, with Russell and West Indies left-arm regulator Sheldon Cottrell, beat India B in the final.
In 2019, the tournament was also played at the CAA Center in Ontario, when the Winnipeg Hawks defeated Knights in overhead. No tournament was held last year. Cricket Canada said the fourth edition of the tournament would return here next year.