HAMPSHIRE Hawks will participate in next month's inaugural T20 Global Super League in Guyana, it has now been officially confirmed.
The tournament features five teams from across the globe – Hampshire, Guyana Amazon Warriors (West Indies), Rangpur Riders (Bangladesh), Victoria (Australia), and Lahore Qalanders (Pakistan).
Each team will play four group stage matches from its start on Tuesday, November 26 to Friday, December 6, with the final taking place on Saturday, December 7.
Hampshire's first fixture against Rangpur Riders will begin at 11pm GMT on Wednesday, November 27, with all matches played at Guyana National Stadium in Providence.
Hampshire then take on Lahore Qalanders on Saturday, November 30 (2pm), Guyana Amazon Warriors on Sunday, December 1 (11pm) and Victoria on Friday, December 6 (11pm). The final between first and second place also starts at 11pm GMT.
Giles White, director of men’s cricket, said: “Guyana is a beautiful country with a huge passion for cricket, their ambition to become a global sporting destination is evident through their investment in launching an all-new T20 tournament.
“The Global Super League is such an exciting concept; international club competition has proven itself to be successful across other sports and has been lacking in cricket for some time.
"The players are looking forward to testing their skills in a different climate against teams from some of the world’s most competitive leagues and I know our fans will be delighted to see us back in yellow, competing for another T20 title.
“Cricket is becoming a truly global sport and we are embracing the opportunities this presents. It can be challenging to innovate within a crowded market but Guyana really are leading the way in supporting the creation of a franchise tournament that will engage cricket fans from across the world.”
Bowling coach Graeme Welch will lead the group with head coach Adi Birrell in South Africa. The five teams will be competing for a US$1million prize fund.
Sir Clive Lloyd, Global Super League chairman, added: “We are looking forward to welcoming the teams to our beautiful country where we are sure the action on the field will be fantastic.
“These are five well-known cricketing entities and we know that their fans from around the world will be tuning in to see them compete for the inaugural GSL title.”
Hampshire Hawks Global Super League Fixtures:
Hampshire Hawks vs Rangpur Riders - Weds 27 November - 11pm GMT
Hampshire Hawks vs Lahore Qalanders - Sat 30 November - 2pm GMT
Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Hampshire Hawks - Sun 1 December - 11pm GMT
Hampshire Hawks vs Victoria - Fri 6 December - 11pm GMT
(Final – First Place v Second Place - Sat 7 December - 11pm GMT)
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