Canada T20 league coaches revealed

A host of prominent coaches including Tom Moody and Waqar Younis have signed on to lead franchises in the inaugural Global T20 Canada League later this month.

The news comes as the league confirmed its player draft - which David Warner has reportedly nominated for - will be held on Sunday, June 3.

Legendary Pakistan quick Younis will take control of the Winnipeg Eagles, while Moody – fresh off coaching Sunrisers Hyderabad to the Indian Premier League final – will take control of the Montreal Tigers.

Former West Indies coach Phil Simmons will mentor the Toronto Nationals, with former Pakistan quick and PSL coach Mohammad Akram (Edmonton Royals) and Jamaican coach Donovan Miller (Vancouver Knights) rounding out the coaching positions.

The five coaches will take part in the draft, where each team will take two of the 10 marquee stars – including Steve Smith, Chris Gayle and Andre Russell – and 14 additional players from a talent pool of 1,500 worldwide who registered for selection.

Four roster spots will be set aside for Canadians, including one for a Canadian U-23 player.

The inaugural month-long competition will begin on June 28 and feature six teams, with the five Canadian sides joined by a Cricket West Indies representative team, consisting entirely of players from the Caribbean.

The league will comprise 22 matches culminating in playoffs and the championship match on July 16. All contests will take place at Maple Leaf Cricket Club, a cricket-specific facility just north of Toronto that will be expanded to a capacity of 7,000 seats.

“I look forward to this experience,” Younis said. I have fond memories of playing in Toronto in the 1990s.

“I still remember the kind of excitement it created at that time and this time it should be no different.

“Global T20 has announced some magnificent names as marquee players.”

Smith, who was suspended for 12 months for his role in the ball-tampering incident in Cape Town in March, was last month named as a marquee player in the tournament, with Cricket Australia permitting him to play in domestic tournaments outside Australia.

He has since revealed he will donate his playing fee to grassroots cricket programs both in Australia and Canada.

Marquee players: Chris Gayle (West Indies), Andre Russell (West Indies), Shahid Afridi (Pakistan), Daren Sammy (West Indies), Lasinth Malinga (Sri Lanka), Steve Smith (Australia), Sunil Narine (West Indies), Chris Lynn (Australia), David Miller (South Africa), Dwayne Bravo (West Indies)