Pakistan’s team captain, Babar Azam, will now be playing under the leadership of wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan. The Vancouver Knights, a franchise in the Global T20 Canada League, announced Rizwan as their new captain on Sunday. The franchise even bestowed the honorary title of ‘Sir’ upon Rizwan in their social media announcement.
The official announcement from the Vancouver Knights read, “Hear ye, hear ye! The Vancouver Knights have chosen their captain for GT20 Season 4: Sir Muhammad Rizwan! ????️ With his mighty batting skills and sharp wicketkeeping, he’s ready to lead our charge to victory. Prepare for battle, Knights!”
Joining the Vancouver Knights alongside Rizwan are 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 commence 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 feature in this tournament. These players were also part of Pakistan’s squad in the 2024 T20 World Cup, where the team had an early exit.
The league will also see participation from other international stars such as 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 part of the Knights last year as well.
