Pakistan’s team captain, Babar Azam, will now play under the leadership of wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan. The Vancouver Knights, a team in the Global T20 Canada League, announced Rizwan as their new captain on Sunday, even bestowing the honorary title of ‘Sir’ upon him in their social media announcement.
The official statement from the Vancouver Knights read, “Hear ye, hear ye! The Vancouver Knights have chosen their captain for GT20 Season 4: Sir Muhammad Rizwan! ????️ He’s ready to lead our charge to victory with his mighty batting skills and sharp wicketkeeping. Prepare for battle, Knights!”
Rizwan will be joined by several notable players, including Pakistani pacer Mohammad Amir, batsman Asif Ali, New Zealand’s Michael Rippon, South Africa’s Dwaine Pretorius, Namibia’s Ruben Trumpelmann, and Guyana’s Jeremy Gordon.
The fourth season of the GT20 Canada will begin on July 25, with the final scheduled for August 11. Seven Pakistani players, including Babar Azam, Asif Ali, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Mohammad Nawaz, will participate in the tournament. These players were also part of Pakistan’s squad in the 2024 T20 World Cup, where the team had an early exit.
Other international stars set to participate include Mohammad Nabi, Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, David Wiese, Hazratullah Zazai, David Warner, and Carlos Brathwaite.
The defending champions of the GT20 Canada are the Montreal Tigers, who won the title in 2023 by defeating the Vancouver Knights in the final. Mohammad Rizwan was also part of the Knights last year.