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Former Indian cricketer Zaheer Khan expressed optimism about the growing global reach of cricket, highlighting the EU T20 Belgium League as a significant platform for players to showcase their talent at the highest level.
The EUT20 Belgium League is part of the growing wave of T20 franchise cricket taking root across Europe. The league's inaugural edition will be played from June 4-14 in Brussels, featuring multiple franchise teams and a roster of international talent that reflects the global appeal of the shortest format of the game. "Cricket is growing in all directions. Globally, we've seen that cricket is growing at a good pace. EUT20 Belgium is also one platform where it's going to help players, help cricketers make the impact at the highest level," Zaheer Khan told ANI. "So that's the effort, the synergies are there. You see the match officials who are involved, see the kind of players which are going to be part of this league, see the kind of teams which are putting in work to make sure that the cricketing infrastructure, cricketing processes and protocol are put in place, the governance is good," he added. Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan also praised the EU T20 Belgium Cricket League as a significant boost for European cricket, particularly for smaller teams that need exposure. He noted the growth potential, citing Italy's strong performance in the 2026 T20 World Cup as an example of how associated nations can thrive with more opportunities. "It's great news for European cricket. Because in European cricket, especially when we are going to Belgium, we have seen small teams, exciting teams, but they need a little exposure. They will get it here. We saw how well Italy did in the World Cup. And for world cricket, the growth of the associated nations is very important," Pathan told ANI. The tournament brings together some of the most recognisable names in global T20 cricket, playing for franchise teams that represent Belgium's rich multicultural landscape. Among the confirmed players across franchises for the tournament are David Warner, Alex Hales, Sam Billings, Saim Ayub, Maaz Sadaqat, Martin Guptill, Sakib Ul Hasan, Colin Munro, Wayne Parnell, Chris Lynn, Sandeep Lamichhane, Shoaib Malik, Deep Airee, and Rohit Paudel, among others, making this one of the most star-studded T20 leagues to debut in Europe. (ANI)
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