Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi will be seen in action at the Global T20 Canada league, which is set to commence this summer.

Afridi is among a host of big names to grace the Canadian league with Steve Smith, Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Lasith Malinga, Sunil Narine, David Miller and Dwayne Bravo expected to feature in the month-long tournament.

This is the first time that an associate member is organising a T20 league and according to Cricket Canada President Ranjit Saini, this is a huge step forward.

“Global T20 Canada marks the first time a nation with associate member status is launching a league – a major step forward in cricket’s global development,” said Saini. “Canadian cricket fans will have a great opportunity to see up close many of the world’s greatest players, and I’d like to thank International Cricket Council, CWI [Cricket West Indies] and the international cricket community for their guidance and support in growing cricket in Canada.”

Global T20 Canada consists of six teams with five representing Canadian cities — Edmonton Royals, Montreal Tigers, Toronto Nationals, Vancouver Knights and Winnipeg Hawks — with a sixth, Cricket West Indies representative team, consisting entirely of players from the Caribbean.

The league will feature 22 matches culminating in playoffs and the final match on July 16.

All contests will take place at Maple Leaf Cricket Club, Toronto.